


Being Held Captive (Isn't Always A Bad Thing)

by rebelliousangel



Category: Marianas Trench, Matt Webb - Fandom, josh ramsay - Fandom
Genre: Crime, Death, Drama, F/M, Kidnapped, Love, Romance, held captive, mention of rape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-13
Updated: 2014-12-13
Packaged: 2018-03-01 08:39:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 73,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2766737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelliousangel/pseuds/rebelliousangel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kidnappings never end well. Meeting Josh Ramsay is a dream come true to most, but Brianna Bridges could disagree in a heartbeat. Brianna is known as the town's "spoiled, popular, pretty blonde chick" with a strong hate for that douchey lead singer of Marianas Trench". She had never expected herself to be in this position. Now, she has to put all of her trust into the one man she can't stand. It's her only chance of making it out alive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **BOOK TRAILER**  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyAI_s8K29s&list=UUj62xypDBOSKtToRw6Pl7Ow

**~PREFACE~**  
  
"I can't believe you're dragging me to a stupid Marianas Trench concert." Brianna whines to her best friend Katy.  
  
"They aren't stupid! They are Gods!" Katy yells.  
  
"We are 28 years old Katy. I think it's time we try to find ourselves some real men. Not men who blow glitter into the crowd and call themselves "Uncle J-Dawg". Not to mention I'm pretty sure the man you love is gay."   
  
"First of all, Josh isn't gay. He is an entertainer. Second of all, you should really try listening to their music some time instead of that Nicki Minaj crap!" Katy hisses.  
  
"Ugh fine. Whatever. Let's just get this over with." Brianna sighs, fixing her long blonde hair in the vanity mirror.  
  
Brianna ushers Katy to her blue convertible, and begin to drive to the venue. She insists that they listen to the band's newest album  _"Ever After"_  and then proceed to quiz Brianna on the band members. Although the drive may have seemed to go on forever, it only takes a few minutes for the girls to arrive at the venue.  
  
"The drummer is..?" Katy asks.  
  
"I know, I know. Ian Casselman. Also know as Ian Casselduck or the octagon by....you people." Brianna jokes, putting stress on the last two words.   
  
This earns an eye roll from Katy.

"I'm so proud." Katy announces pretending to wipe a tear from her eye.  
  
"Okay. Where are we sitting anyways?" Brianna laughs, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Front row. Where else?" she exclaims, squealing a little.  
  
Brianna sighs as the pair make their way to their seats. Brianna wants patiently for the torture-concert, to begin.   
  
From the moment Brianna lays her eyes on the blue and black-haired man when he enters the stage, she knows how the concert will go. He and his band mates will sing some songs, and then he will then proceed to make conversation with the audience, being arrogant as ever.   
  
Naturally, Brianna is spot on. She even catches Josh catching a glimpse of her several times.  ****  
  
"OH MY GOD WASN'T THAT SO AMAZING?" Katy squeals as soon as the band leaves the stage.  
  
"Mhm yup. Can we go now?" Brianna sighs.  
  
All she wants is to go take a hot bath at home.  
  
"Of course not! We have to stick around to meet the band members!" Katy exclaims in excitement, slapping Brianna on the arm.  
  
"Okay whatever. I'll be outside when you're ready to leave." Brianna sighs, walking towards the exit.  
  
  
As she walks, she takes in the night's events. Brianna would never admit it to Katy, but she actually really enjoyed the show. The band were great performers and what not, but she still hates that douchey lead singer.   
  
  
  
Brianna leanes up against the cold brick wall, pulling out her phone. After all, Katy could be in there for ages. What could possible be a better way to pass time than twitter?   
  
As she scrolls through her time line, she notices a few retweets from her best friend. Naturally, they were none other than Joshua freaking Ramsay. Brianna rolls her eyes as she clicks on the tweet, curious of what the asshole has to say for himself.  
  
  
 _"@JoshRamsay: VANCOUVERRR! You are all so sexy. It was great to play home again. You guys are the cat's meow. ;)"_    
  
  
  
What the fuck? This guy has some serious issues.  
  
Brianna shakes her head when a sudden gust of wind attacks her body. She hugs her body, shivering from the cool night air. Brianna begins to worry. Judging by the sudden darkness, it is getting late and Katy should've been back by now.   
  
Brianna glances around at the abundance of people chatting amoungst themselves, until she hears a scream of horror. No one around her seems to have heard the sudden disturbance, Brianna decides to investigate.   
  
She pokes her head around the corner, just in time to see someone pressing a white cloth, probably chloroform, to some other man's face.   
  
She gasps at the sight of the man being attacked, placing a shaky hand over her mouth. She takes a shaky step back from the scene, nearly tripping over her own feet. Finally, she pulls her phone to her ear and quickly dials  _"911"._  
  
Brianna anxiously glances back over at the scene of the crime as she waites for someone to pick up.  
  
The man drops the ground, and is currently being forcefully dragged into a white, shady van parked nearby. Brianna can't quite make out who the person is, but he seems oddly familiar. The mystery man is tall and lanky, and proved to scream like a girl when he is in danger.  
  
She begins to hyperventilate as the van's doors slam shut.   
  
  
 _"Hello 911, please state your emergency."_  she hears the other line finally respond.  
  
Brianna sighs in relief. Everything will be fine.  
  
"Hi yes, I just witnessed a man get kidnapped outside of the Vancouver.... _mmmhfffff"_    
  
Suddenly, a cloth is being placed roughly over her nose and mouth. Her eyes go wide in complete terror. Her knees feel like jello and her heart begins to pound. When her vision begins to blur, Brianna's heart nearly comes to a complete stop. When she drops to the ground, all she can remember is some man harshly yelling, _"GET HER TOO! SHE SAW US!"_

 __  
Then the world is black, and Brianna falls into the deep abyss.


	2. Meeting The Roommates

Katy sighs in disappointment as she exits the venue. She had waited around for absolutely nothing. What a let down.

"BRIANNA?" Katy calls out for the millionth time.

A look of worry washes across her face for a moment, until she bumps into someone. She is about to yell at the stranger, but he cuts her off.

"I'm so sorry!" he apologizes.

Katy's breath catches in her throat. She knows that voice.

"Oh my God...hi Matt." Katy stutters with wide eyes.

"Hey stranger." he laughs, waving a hand at her.

"It's Katy." she giggles nervously.

The man smiles at her, showing off those adorable dimples of his that Katy loves so much. 

"Have you seen our douchy lead singer around by any chance?" Matt asks seriously.

"Nope." Katy replies, attempting to cover her excitement.

"The band and I have been looking for him everywhere.." Matt sighs.

"Funny...it seems my friend has gone missing too." Katy sighs running a frustrated hand through her black hair.

"Is your friend female?" Matt asks.

"No, she's an octopus." Katy smirks sarcastically.

"Well that explains it." he laughs.

"What?" Katy raises an eyebrow.

"You've probably heard that Josh is single now right?" 

Matt shifts his stance.

"Yeah..." Katy trails off.

"Well then I bet the douche and your friend hooked up somewhere." 

Katy begins to laugh uncontrollably while Matt stares at her like she has two heads. 

 

"What?" he asks, raising an eyebrow at her.

"My friend HATES him with a burning passion." Katy giggles.

"Well, maybe they got into an argument that lead to some heated, angry se-"

"Matt!" she yells with wide eyes, shielding her ears in horror. 

He smiles at her. Katy instantly feels the butterflies in her stomach begin to flutter faster and faster. Her palms begin to sweat. She has been dreaming about this exact moment her entire life.

 

 

Brianna slowly begins to open her eyes. Instantly, she squints her eyes at the sudden light. She takes in her surroundings, a dimly lit basement. For a moment she glances around in confusion, wondering where the hell she could possibly be. Then, it all comes back to her. She remembers being dragged to the concert by Katy, hearing the scream, witnessing the man being attacked...but that's it. It's almost as if a big chunk of her memory has been taken from her. Her eyes widen in frieght. She tries to scream for help, but the only auidible sound that she makes is a muffle. The bastards have taped her mouth shut. 

Brianna now realizes how dire her current situation is. She needs to get out of here...now. Shouldn't be that hard, right? Considering she's tied to a chair, it's going to take a lot more than just getting up and running like hell for her to escape.

Her struggling comes to a sudden stop when she hears a distressed groan coming from directly behind her. Guess she isn't alone after all. Who else could possibly be in the room with her? She turns her head to find that she isn't alone at all. All she can make out is a head of raven black hair.

Brianna is just about to attempt to get the man's attention when a deep raspy voice startles her, making her jump.

 

"Well good morning sunshine!" the voice coos at her.

Her head snaps back around to meet the voice of the intruder. However, the lighting is too dim to make out any of the man's features. As begins to walk towards her, she tries to muffle something, the tape covering her mouth making it incoherent. 

The man smiles at her, ripping the tape from her lips.

"Who are you?" she snaps at him, "Where the hell am I?"

"Well hello to you too, babe." he chuckles, rolliing his eyes.

"I beg your pardon? Do you know who I am?" she sneers back at him.

"Calm down princess." he threatens.

"Let me out of here!" she demands, beginning to struggle with the ropes.

"No can do princess." he laughs at her, wiggling her finger.

"And why not?" she yells.

"You've seen too much." he smirks.

Brianna shoots daggers at the man standing before her.

"Oh and good morning Josh, glad to see you've joined us." the man exclaims, clapping his hands together and walking over to whoever she is tied up with.

Brianna pauses for a second, thinking long and hard about what the man had just said. Josh....why does that name sound so familiar to her?

"Who the fuck are you?!? Let me go!" a third voice echos across the vacant basement walls.

Eddie chuckles.

"Oh well would you look at that. It's already four in the morning. I'd better go get some sleep. Sleep well you two." and with that, the man left. 

 

"Great. Fucking perfect. This is all I fucking need." Josh rants to himself.

Brianna stays silent.

"Hey you. Do you happen to have a knife on you?" Josh asks the blonde girl tied up behind him.

"Uh no. Why would I have a knife.." Brianna responds, squinting her eyebrows together.

"Well sorry, I have a career I need to get back to." Josh mumbles.

"Look asshole, I don't want to be here any more than you do. Just shut the fuck up unless you find a way to get us out of here." she snaps at him.

"Excuse me? Do you know who I am?" he replies shifting to peer at her.

"Infact I do. You're a douchy lead singer that goes by Joshua Ramsay." Brianna replies, finally figuring out where she knew his name from.

"What the fuck is your problem? he snaps back at her. 

"At the moment? You." she smirks.

"Look I don't think you get it. I have an actual life. I have fans. People care about me."

"Wow. Do you hear yourself right now?" Brianna laughs in pure amazement.

She knew he was cocky, but this is a whole new level.

He rolled his eyes at her.

 

"Look, let's just try to get some sleep so we are well rested for tomorrow morning. Alright?" she tries to reason with him, silently wanting him to just shut up.

"Whatever princess. I don't take orders from you." 

"Don't. fucking. call. me. princess." Brianna sneers through gritted teeth.

"Ouch. Kitty's got claws." Josh mocks.

"Ramsay, if I weren't tied up right now, I would sack you so hard that you wouldn't be able to have babies." she threatens, tired of playing games with him.

"Oh so now you're saying you want my kids eh?" he smirks, winking at Brianna.

"No. Ew. Gross. Ramsay listen to me. Listen very closely. I will never sleep with you, not in a million years okay? Don't flatter yourself. Even if you were the last man alive, it won't happen." she explains slow enough for him to understand.

"Who said I even want to sleep with you?" he retorts.

"Just shut up. You're annoying me." Brianna groans in annoyance.

"You can't make me." he taunts.

"Look, I will personally call down whoever that creepy man was and have him tape your mouth shut if you say another word." Brianna warns.

"Harsh." 

"Just go to sleep." she groans.

"But I have insomnia." he replies honestly.

"Well stop talking." she sighs.

Expecting to hear Josh's annoying voice come up with a yet another excuse, Brianna is prepared to scream at him. Much to her surprise, Josh keeps his lips shut long enough for Brianna to fall asleep.

*******************************************************************************************************

 

"Princess wake up." coos her kidnapper.

At least she assumes it is her kidnapper, because that sure as hell does not sound like Josh. She tries to keep even breaths with her eyes shut until she hears the sound of a door shutting.

"Josh.." Brianna whispers in absolute horror.

No response.

"Josh what are they going to do to us?" she asks again, hoping for any response at all.

The reality of the current situation hits the pair like a tonne of bricks.

"I....I don't know..." he whispers back, just as frightened as Brianna, "Shhh he's coming back."

 

But it's too late for the pair to resume their fake-sleeping position. The door swings open to reveal their kidnapper.

"I trust you both slept well?" the man asks.

Brianna stays quiet, not wanting to upset the man who put her here in the first place. Still, she desperately tries to keep calm, not letting the man know just how petrified she really is. Imagine her surprise when the man starts to untie the ropes on her chair.

"Good news princess. You get to come with me." the man sneers evilly. 

Brianna's breath catches in her throat. So much for staying calm and collected.

"It's alright, I can stay here." Brianna pleads in desperation.

"I'm afraid that isn't an option." he smirks, pulling her up by her arm.

Brianna shoots Josh a glance of pure terror as the man forcefully drags her out of the room. The man drags her through a long hallway and into another room. This one, unlike the other, is full of furniture. 

 

"Alright princess. I'm going to make you a deal. You're going to be my slave. You will do everything I ask of you as well as fulfill my sexual desires." 

"S-sexual d-desires?" Brianna stutters with wide eyes.

"You think I wouldn't take advantage of such a beautiful girl?" he laughs.

 

Brianna bites her lip for a second. She doesn't want to have sex with this man, with her kidnapper. She wants to go home.

"A-and if I don't agree?" she hesitates, trying her luck.

"Then I will be forced to kill you." he warns her with a smirk.

Brianna begins to hyperventilate. Never in her life had she imagined herself being caught in this situation. She was about to me a new rape victim, probably found dead months later in a ditch, or chopped in several pieces and buried in cement. 

"Look...I'm a virgin!" she pants in desperation.

Her kidnapper proves to care less about her sex life. 

"Well then...let's start now shall we?" he smirks, cornering her so her back is now against the wall.

Brianna shivers, wishing to be any place but here. SHe closes her eyes for a moment, wishing that this isn't real. Her eyes snap open as she feels his breath on her face. A tear rolls down her face as his lips finally press up against her own.

"Kill. Me. Now." are the only three words left in Brianna's mind as she resists the urge to vomit.

 

 

 

Josh iss left alone for the day with his thoughts. A part of him is relieved, another is worried about that girl. God only knows what they are doing to her. Though she may come off as snarky, Josh has found himself instantly attracted to her. Rather than annoying, he found the way that she stood up for herself last night well, hot.

He reminds himself to stop wandering and focus at the task at hand. He needs to get out of here, but how? The task seems nearly impossible unless-

His own thoughts are cut off when he remembers something important. He has a pocket knife in the back pocket of his jeans. Some would say that it is coincidentally just luck, but the truth is that Josh is just incredibly forgetful. No, he wasn't planning on murdering anyone, unless you count pumpkins. Josh and Matt had decided to carve pumpkins a short while ago, he must've forgotten all about the pocket knife. Thank God for his forget-fullness. 

Thank God for his long, spider-like fingers too. Without them, he would have never been able to reach his pocket for the knife to cut himself free. As the ropes drop, Josh feels a new sense of accomplishment wash over him. He is free.

He is now faced with the invietable two options. The first, go find Brianna. The second, get the hell out of dodge.

 

 

After the man is done with Brianna, he roughly shoves her into a separate room. 

 

When she is finally left alone, a single tear rushes down her face. It all started with that one single tear, soon she is crying until her tears run dry.

She can't live like this. Like a caged up animal. She's in desperate need of someone to find her. Although, she doesn't have her phone to contact anyone. She glances at her body. It is covered in bruises. Her once pale skin is now covered in a violent mosaic of blue and purple.

All she is left with is a short blue dress, barely enough to cover herself in. Brianna comes to the sudden realization that she must be in hell.

She takes a break from all of her self pity when she realizes something much more valuable. Josh. Maybe Josh has his phone. There's only one flaw, Josh isn't around.

Brianna sighs as her lips begin to tremble. She breaks down once again, crying herself to sleep on the bed provided in the room. 

 

***

Her eyes snap open at the sound of footsteps, nearly letting out a startled squeal. She peers up to see a familiar face. 

"Shhhshhsh it's only me." Josh whispers, gesturing for her to stay quiet.

Brianna instantly relaxes at the soothing sound of Josh's gentle voice.

"What happened?" Josh whispers, sitting next to her on the bed.

 

**

 

Josh makes up his mind in a split second. He needs to save Brianna, no questions asked. He carefully leaves the room, searching a long hallway. He comes across a door. It must be where Brianna was taken earlier. Josh takes his chances, cautiously turning the door knob to reveal the blonde girl sprawled out on a bed. She is alone.

He sighs a sigh of relief. Taking a few careful steps towards her, he discovers that she is asleep.

"I feel the same way." Josh hears her mumble in her sleep.

He questions her sudden outburst for a moment before carefully shaking her awake.

Brianna jolts awake with eyes wide, she glances down at her body as if she were searching for something.

"Was I dreaming?" she asks him.

"Huh?" he raises an eyebrow at her.

"Was I raped?" 

"No...uh...I don't think you were...were you?" he replies, unsure of how exactly he is supposed to respond to something like that. 

She sighs, not quite sure if it's out of misery or relief.

"You dreamt you were raped?" he asks, now sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Yeah." she whispers.

"By who?" 

"That man." she whispers, the tears threatening to return as she utters the two simple words.

"What else happened?" 

She bites her lip and red fills her cheeks, "Err....nothing."

 

Josh doesn't believe her, but he decides not to push. The girl has been through enough today.

 

"What are you even doing in here? How did you get out?" she asks Josh, changing the subject.

"My short term memory comes in handy sometimes." Josh smirks with a quit laugh.

She raises an eyebrow at him

"Don't ask." he chuckles, shaking his head.

The laughter dies down quickly.

"You should leave before they come find you." she suggests, glancing down at the ground.

"No, WE'RE leaving." he corrects her in excitement.

A huge smile plasters across Brianna's face. In all the excitement, Josh takes one of her hands in his, soothingly rubbing her knuckles.


	3. I Hate You

Brianna notices Josh's sudden gesture. She bites her lip and averts her gaze down to her own lap.  
  
"No...Josh you have to go. If his man finds out we tried to escape, he's going to do one of two things; kill us, or separate us." she replies in a shaky voice.  
  
"Why are you being so nice to me?" he asks with soft eyes.  
  
"Strength in numbers." Brianna nods at him.  
  
Josh slowly nods back. It almost seems to her as if he was disappointed with her answer.  
  
"Look, maybe if I convince this man that me and you have a really bad history or something, something weird like maybe...we were dating awhile ago but you cheated on me and now I hate you. But to pull it off, our stories have to be identical and believable. Any opportunity you get. You cheated on me, and was a complete asshole. I caught you cheating and broke it off. " Brianna explains.  
  
"Hey! How come I have to be the asshole?" Josh raises an eyebrow at her.   
  
Brianna gives him a look that can only be described in one way. She was silently asking him, "Are you fucking serious?"  
  
"Okay, okay fine." Josh sighs in defeat, "But you were a bitch too!"   
  
"Whatever!" Brianna rolls her eyes.  
  
"How is this supposed to help?" he asks.  
  
"Silm chance, but he may let me go because of how much I presumably hate you. Most likely, he will probably send me back into the room with you just to torture you."   
  
"How am I supposed to trust that if you get free you'll send help?"   
  
"No matter how much I find you annoying, or a douche-" she lists on and on.  
  
"Thanks." he glares.  
  
"I wouldn't just leave you here to die, that's inhuman." Brianna assures him.  
  
Their highly intelligent conversation is cut short by the sound of footsteps on a hardwood floor directly above them.  
  
"Fuck." Josh breathes.   
  
He quickly reaches into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone.Brianna raises an eyebrow at him.

"Take it. It doesn't have reception down here, but if you escape, you'll need it." he explains, handing her the phone.  
  
Brianna takes it, reaching down the front of her dress, shoving the cell phone into her bra. Josh watches her completely speechless.  
  
"Go back and loosely retie the rope around yourself. Stick to the plan and make it look real." she speed-whispers.   
  
Josh nods before embracing Brianna in a quick hug. The speed of her heartbeat quickens ever so slightly when their eyes meet. Josh's eyes flicker down to her lips for a moment, and for a split second Brianna is sure that Josh is going to kiss her. Though the thought scares her, a part of her wants him to. Instead, Josh kisses her softly on the cheek, lingering there for longer than expected. Brianna's eyes widen and her breath quickens.  
  
"Ew gross!" she pants, looking to maintain her first impression of him.  
  
"I thought you might have needed a little inspiration." Josh smiles.

"Just go!" Brianna frantically whispers, shooing him away.  
  
  
Josh laughs, standing up from the bed and making his way towards the door. Once the door closes, Brianna shuts her eyes and pretends to still be asleep. As she shuts her eyes, all she can see is him. He kissed her cheek. Brianna tries to convince herself that the gesture was revolting and done only to annoy her. Her cheek tingles with pure affection, but she does her best to ignore it. She also tries her best to ignore the funny warm and fuzzy sensation in her stomach, almost like butterflies fluttering their wings. Her main priority right now is making her lie believable to her kidnapper. She must act as if she despises Josh, which shouldn't be incredibly difficult.  
  
Brianna is snapped away from her thoughts when she hears the door open. She flutters her eyes open, pretending to wake up.  
  
"Sleep well?" he asks her.   
  
Brianna quickly reminds herself not to beat around the bush and get straight to the point. She shoots the man a glare.

"Why him?!? Why not Dylan O'Brien or someone attractive and polite?" Brianna sneers at him.  
  
Brianna's celebrity crushes are Dylan O'Brien, Jensen Ackles, and a handful of other attractive actors. Dylan O'Brien was the first name that came to her mind.   
  
"Sweetheart, if you think about it, I'm doing you a favour."  
  
Brianna crosses her arms, now in a sitting position. She raises an eyebrow at him.  
  
"You were at his concert, now he's practically living with you." Brianna's kidnapper exclaims.  
  
"I was picking up my friend. I was hoping I wouldn't see him."   
  
The man gives Brianna a questioning look.  
  
"Look, I never wanted to see that asshole again! Now I'm basically trapped here with him. Talk about fucking torture!" Brianna yells at him.  
  
"Listen here missy, I don't care how you two know each other. Be grateful I gave you a fucking bed to sleep on!" he lashes out on her.  
  
"The only reason you did that probably was to eye rape me while I was sleeping in this rag you call a 'dress'. Fucking pervert."   
  
Brianna is proud for defending herself. That is until the man smacks her hard across the face.

"I gave you the longer dress you bitch. Since you seem to take everything for fucking granted, you can sleep tied up in the chair next to loverboy."   
  
Brianna nearly sighs in relief, or throws her fist up in victory, but instead, she plays along.  
  
"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE." she exclaims with wide eyes, trying to show as little emotion as possible.  
  
"Not only that, you're going to wear this new dress, so he too can eye rape you."   
  
"I refuse to wear such a thing." Brianna glares at him in disgust, "Or to sleep in a fucking chair next to my fucking asshole of an ex!"   
  
The man brings his hand down against Brianna's face for a second time. This time left much more of a sting compared to the first. Getting slapped wasn't what phased Brianna. It was the fact that her kidnapper was now holding a gun to her face. Brianna's heartbeat quickens, her hands begin to shake.  
  
"You'll do as I say and you won''t get hurt." he snarls, pointing a gun at her face, "Now put on the God damn dress, princess!"   
  
Brianna stares at the man, completely speechless. Without another word, she takes the dress from her kidnapper, the fabric shaking along with her hands. Her breath quickens as she reaches down, shakily gripping the hem of the first dress. She hesitantly pulls the fabric over her head, quickly replacing it with the new, much thinner, dress. She makes a point to keep Josh's cell phone hidden and out of eyesight, though she can especially feel the man's eyes taking in every curve and bump her partial naked body has to offer.. Brianna glances down at her own body. The dress is the sluttiest dress she has ever laid eyes on.   
  
"Lead the way." the man orders, breaking Brianna away from her thoughts.

The man ushers to the door. As Brianna starts a slow, shaky walk, she feels the man's hand come down hard, this time it's on her half naked ass. She wants so badly to break, to just let the man shoot her and be done with it. A part of her believes that she can make it through this. Her kidnapper's gun is pressed firmly to her back with every step she takes. After what feels like an eternity, the pair reach the room where Josh is.  
  
Josh paitently waits for Brianna to return, praying that her plan will work. Though he never even amused the thought of Brianna being in immediate danger with a gun pressed to her back. The dress that she is wearing is different too, it shows more skin than the first. Josh decides to put aside his feelings for a moment, putting the plan in action.  
  
"Why the hell is she back here?!?" Josh yells in anger.  
  
"Not like I have a fucking choice." Brianna snarls back at him through gritted teeth.  
  
In response, the man slaps Brianna across the face again, hard.  
  
"STOP FUCKING SLAPPING ME, ASSHOLE!" Brianna shrieks in anger.  
  
For a moments, Brianna contemplates what she had just said. Why is she doing this to herself? Another three slaps come down on her, hard. So brutal, she feels herself begin to cry, genuine tears. The skin on her cheek is tender and red, stinging with each breath she takes. Though it is difficult to hold back the tears, she manages.  
  
"Shut up!" the man barks at her, as if she were nothing but a wild animal.  
  
Josh stays silent throughout the entire ordeal. He isn't sure whether or not he should intervene. He glances over at Brianna as the man ties her roughly to the chair facing himself. Brianna gives the man a dirty look, causing yet another slap, even harder than the last, to ruthlessly attack her cheek. She reminds herself that cryin-breaking, in front of her kidnapper is extremely dangerous. There''s plenty of time to cry when he leaves. Brianna feels Josh's heavy gaze focused on her, making it even more difficult.   
  
Just when Brianna is positive that the torture is over, the man pulls her hair back so hard that she was sure that he was going to rip out her skull. The man leans closer to her and she can feel his disguisting breath on her neck.  
  
" I don't want to hear another fucking word from you, unless you want a real beating." he warns her.

Brianna finds herself frantically nodding, just wanting the torture to be over. She waits a few minutes after the man leaves to let the first silent tear fall.  
  
"Oh my God." Josh whispers in complete horror.  
  
Brianna can't find it in herself to look at him. No one has ever seen her cry before. She isn't one to break down easily. Her hair hangs around her face like a curtain, hiding her current state from Josh.  
  
"The plan worked." Brianna whispers, not bothering to lift her head.  
  
"What did he do to you?" Josh urges.  
  
"Slapped me a few times...in several places, forced me to wear  _this,_ pointed a gun at me..." she trails off, her voice breaking near the end.   
  
Brianna takes a deep breath, slowly lifting her head to face Josh.  
  
"He has a gun." she whispers.  
  
Josh's eyes study her face carefully. The once annoying, incredibly snarky girl, appears broken in front of him. As fragile as a china doll.   
  
Brianna notices Josh's sorry eyes, and has the sudden urge to shield her face once again. Josh, noticing the sudden panic in Brianna's eyes, sends a small smile her way.  
  
"We'll get through this, We'll figure out a way to escape. We'll do it  _together_." he reassures her with a soft smile.  
  
  
  
  
  
Katy's eyes flutter open to reveal that she is in a cramped bunk bed. Her eyes widen and panic begins to set in, that is until she remembers last night. After having no luck recovering the two missing individuals, Matt had invited Katy to sleep on the tour bus for the night. If Brianna really did hook up with Josh last night, Katy reminds herself to thank her because she got to sleep on her favourite band's tour bus! Best of all, Matt fucking Webb, of all people, is now keeping her company while waiting for the two to arrive. Katy exits the bunk bed with a smile plastered on her face.   
  
Katy then proceeds to eat breakfast with Matt.   
  
"I don't understand, it's almost noon..." Matt trails off, the worry finally starting to sink in.  
  
By this time, Mike and Ian had come to join the party. An abrupt knock at the tour bus door startles the four.  
  
"I bet that's them now." Matt exclaims, standing up and walking to the door.  
  
Katy decides to follow him, just in case her friend was at the door. Although, the whole situation screams weird, abnormal even. For one, Brianna is-well, was a virgin. Katy doubts that Brianna is the type of girl to let some random guy in a band-whom she absolutely detests, sleep with her. A one night stand doesn't sound like her best friend at all.  
  
To everyone's surprise, Matt opens the door to reveal a cop.  
  
"Ummm hi..." Matt greets the cop awkwardly.  
  
"Hello, we got a call from this location last night, stating that someone had been kidnapped?" the cop explains.  
  
"K-kidnapped..." Katy stutters, taking a step closer to the cop.  
  
"Yes. It sounded like a female voice."   
  
"Could've easily have been Josh." Ian snickers in the background.  
  
"She got cut off before she could finish the call. We traced the number back to this phone, does it happen to belong to any of you?" the cop asks holding up a cell phone.  
  
Katy's heart drops when she examines the white iPhone in front of her.   
  
"Would you mind pressing the home screen button?" Katy asks in shock.  
  
The officer nods. He presses the home screen button to reveal a picture of herself and Brianna smiling and laughing. Katy feels her knees start to weaken and her breath catches in her throat as she studies the 20 missed texts and 6 missed calls, all from herself.  
  
"I-I know whose phone this it. It belongs to my friend Brianna, the one who I went to the concert with." Katy stutters after a moment of  complete silence.  
  
"When is the last time you saw her?"   
  
"She wanted to leave so she waited outside while I stayed inside the venure trying to meet these guys." Katy replies, gesturing to the three men behind her.  
  
"You haven't seen her ever since?"  
  
"No." Katy replies, dead pan.  
  
"Why didn't you go home when you couldn't find her?" the cop asks.  
  
To Katy, the entire conversation is starting to feel like a heated interrogation. She appears pale as a ghost and is just about ready to pass out. Lucky for her, Matt replies to the officer.

"We invited her to wait for her friend because we just figured that our lead singer was with her or something trying to seduce her." Matt explains, more or less completely serious.  
  
Katy mentally face palms herself at Matt's choice of vocabulary.  
  
"Who is the lead singer?"   
  
"Haven't seen him since last night either...he said he had to make a call and that was it." Mike answers.  
  
"What is his name?"  
  
"Joshua Ramsay." Ian replies.  
  
"Were there any descriptions she gave as to who was being kidnapped?" Katy asks.  
  
"No. Only that it was a man. We also heard someone yelling  _"get her too, she knows too much."_  
  
  
Katy feels the remaining blood drain from her face. Brianna didn't meet up with Josh Ramsay after the show last night to have scandalous sex, she was kidnapped...with Josh Ramsay?


	4. Escape Plan

Brianna has been silent ever since what took place earlier. She won't even look at Josh and it has been hours. Josh questions why this situation had to happen to her. He doesn't even know why he was taken, but Brianna has nothing to do with him. She shouldn't be there. Josh concludes that the whole situation is his fault. EVer since he was younger, he is the one always bringing people down with him. Always. 

  
"Brianna?" he whispers.   
  
Brianna doesn't even flinch. At this point, Josh would assume that she were dead if he couldn't hear the light, staggered breathing coming from directly in front of him. He slips his hands out of the loose knot he had tied around his hands. Leaning closer to Brianna, he studies her posture. Her head in down, facing her lap. He gently tilts her chin up with his fingers. It is now clear to him how upset she is. Her makeup is smudged under her red eyes, her face smudged with her own tears,  
  
"Nobody's ever seen me cry before." she whispers softly, closing her eyes.   
  
"Shh." he wipes her smudged makeup away gently with his thumb, "It's going to be okay."  
  
He attempts to comfort her.   
  
"No it's not." she says with a strain to her voice, "Haven't you seen this all before?"   
  
Josh gives her a questioning look while tucking a strand of her beautiful blonde hair behind her ear.   
  
"This whole scene. He-they haven't blindfolded us. No good reason as to why they chose to kidnap us. We can clearly identify who they are. If we escape, if they let us go, they are screwed."   
  
Josh listens carefully, hanging onto her every word.  
  
"They haven't done anything to us-"   
  
"Not yet, but they will. They'll start with me. Maybe even make you watch." she cuts Josh off in mid sentence.  
  
Josh watches as another tear rolls down Briannaès cheek, hitting the cold cement floor beneath their feet.  
  
"Josh, these people-they don't just wake up and decide they are going to kidnap someone just for kicks, then release them unharmed. It's all a build up, and then something inside of you just snaps. The scariest part? It's inside of all of us. It's whether or not we tap into that primal instinct. that's up to us. These people get off on other people's pain and suffering. They're going to take me, beat me, probably rape me then kill me." she sighs.   
  
"No. I won't let them." Josh replies firmly, gently grabbing her hands.  
  
She smiles at him, "It's sweet of you to say that, but at this point I'm kind of hoping there's a chance for us to escape soon or I'm really considering stealing that knife from you and ending it myself."   
  
"Don't say that. We're going to get through this."   
  
"He's on his way back so if I were you I'd tie yourself back up." she whispers in a panic.   
  
"Shit." Josh whispers, slipping his wrists through the knots once again.   
  
Suddenly the door creaks open and the man from before walks over to Brianna with a glass of water in his hand.   
  
"You know, I really shouldn't be giving a dumb bitch like you anything after the little stunt you pulled earlier, should I?"   
  
"N-no sir." she obediently replies.   
  
"Good girl." he praises her, tilting the glass up to her mouth.   
  
Josh notices a bag full of what he can only guess is sleeping pills in his back pocket. He shows no reaction as Brianna takes a few gulps of water.  
  
"I'll be back soon, you behave while I'm gone."   
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Then he is gone. Once Josh hears the door shut and a car drive off, he quickly frees himself from the knots once again, running over to the other side of the room where a paper bag is lying on top of a few boxes. 

"What the hell are you doing?!?" Brianna whispers to him in confusion as he approaches her with the paper bag.   
  
"Throw up." he commands her, handing her the bag, "Quickly!"  
  
He opens the paper bag, urging for her to obey. She glances up at him like he grew two heads.  
  
"Why?" she asks, furrowing her eyebrows together.  
  
"He laced your water with sleeping pills." Josh explains quickly.   
  
Brianna's eyes widen. For a split second, a part of her wonders what the man was planning on doing to her. She snaps out of it quickly.  
  
"I can't gag myself without any hands!" she panics.   
  
"There's no time! Who knows when he will get back!" Josh exclaims.  
  
Untying Brianna would take way too long. He has to get her to throw up before the pills have a chance to kick in. Suddenly, he has an idea.  
  
"Open your mouth." he sighs.  
  
 _"What?"_ she exclaims in horror.  
  
"Just do it! There's no faster way." he exclaims.  
  
Brianna pauses for a second. Can she trust him? She comes to the conclusion that there is no other choice. Her heart pounds faster as she opens her mouth wide, giving Josh a questioning look before he sticks a finger down her throat.   
  
"Ew Josh! What the he-" she struggles to get out before she begins to gag.   
  
"I hope to God I time this correctly." he mutters quietly to himself.   
  
Gagging noises echo across the empty walls. The sounds were loud enough for anyone who was upstairs to hear. Luckily, they were alone. After a few more seconds of gagging, he withdraws his hand from her mouth, quickly placing the bag in front of her. She throws up into the bag, gasping for air afterwards.  
  
"Gross." Josh exclaims placing the bag behind a few boxes.   
  
"You're telling me. I have that gross puke taste in my mouth now!" she whines.   
  
"Well, how are you feeling? Awake? Tired?" Josh asks walking up behind her,cutting her free of the restraints.   
  
"Like I wanna punch you." she smiles in a sweet, gentle voice.   
  
"Well that's unfortunate seeing as we are getting out of here now and I could really use your help." Josh smirks.   
  
"What? We are? But he could be back and-"   
  
"We'll be able to hear him pull in."   
  
"What if he isn't alone?"   
  
"Well I've got a knife and you've got this." Josh explains handing her a screwdriver.  
  
He had found it in the process of looking for a barf bag.  
  
"What the hell am I gonna go with this? Screw him to death?!" Brianna whisper-yells.  
  
Josh tries to hold back a laugh. Brianna realizes what she just said came out incredibly wrong.  
  
"Don't answer that." she quickly adds.  
  
"Look, just follow me." he laughs, "This house can't be that confusing." Josh persuades her, extending a hand out for her to take.   
  
Brianna reaches out, taking his hand in hers. She tries her best to keep a straight face as soon as she feels the warmth of his hand engulfing her own. He gently pulls her to her feet. Their hands break apart when she is finally on her feet. The pair walk across the room to the heavy wooden door. As Josh pulls the door open, the loud sound of the door squeaking on it's hinges echoes throughout the room. He holds the door open for Brianna. She steps through the threshold, and for the first time, she comes to realize that something is extremely wrong. The next room was pitch black, almost like something out of a horror move. But that's because this was a horror movie. They were the victims on the big screen, desperately fighting for their lives. Only they weren't the heroes, they were the victims who die long before the heroes come out on top. Josh frantically searches the ancient, cobweb filled walls, for a light switch. He flicks the switch on, only to discover that the old light fixture is burnt out. A chill of freight runs up Brianna's spine and her heart pounds in her chest  
  
"Great." he sighs.   
  
He spins around only to come face to face with Brianna sticking her hand down the front of her shirt. Although Brianna is forced to wear such a skimpy piece of material, Josh can't seem to remove his gaze from her chest for a moment. The outfit she is being forced to wear is way too revealing. He feels terrible for staring, but he can't help but notice truely how beautiful she is. Suddenly, she pulls my phone out of her bra. Josh shakes his head quickly, averting his gaze back to her eyes, like they should have been all along. She doesn't seem to notice.   
  
"You still have that?" he whispers.  
  
"Yeah, and if it gives me breast cancer I swear to God I'll-"   
  
"Do you get reception here?" he cuts her off.  
  
"Umm..." she pauses, holding my phone up in the air, "Nope." she sighs.   
  
"Damn it!" Josh pounds his fist against the wall.   
  
"But it does give off light." she smiles turning on the flashlight feature.   
  
"Okay. Give it to-" he orders, reaching towards the phone.   
  
"Nuh uh!" she exclaims, pulling the phone from his grasp, "You don't always get to be the one who leads."   
  
She steps in front of him.   
  
"Look, if we get caught...this is my mess-"   
  
"Damn it Josh I don't care, we're stuck in this whole fucking mess together okay? I can make my own damn decisions." she glares at him.   
  
He nods slightly before they continue walking through the black abyss. Soon, the pair are completely engulfed in the total blackness. Aside from the tiny amount of light the phone provides them, the hallway appears to be endless, like some dark pit of hell. Infact, it wouldn't surprise either one of them if the light at the end of the tunnel leads straight to hell. Okay, so maybe that's being a little dramatic. Josh follows close behind Brianna until suddenly, she stops walking. She reaches out and grabs a hold of an old door knob. The old heavy wooden door creeks loudly as it opens. There seems to be a room connected to the never ending hallway, but not a way out. Brianna flicks the light switch on, but again they are left with complete darkness.   
  
"I recognize this room.." she trails off, "This is where that bastard gave me this piece of cloth to wear and put a gun to my head."   
  
Josh nods, not really knowing how to respond to a statement like that, but also not wanting to stare at her as she tugs at the skimpy little dress..   
  
"I just wish it had some damn sleeves, I'm freezing my ass off." she shivers as she steps back and closes the door.   
  
Josh watches Brianna shiver. He shrugs off the sweater that he is wearing, gently placing it around her shoulders. She flinches at the slight weight but nods back at him, muttering a quick thank you. As the two leave the room, the light hits another door, one they hadn't seen before on their way in. Again, Brianna twists the door knob open to reveal a musty wine cellar.   
  
"Ugh. How many fucking rooms are in this damn basement." she exclaims, frustrated with their lack of luck.   
  
"On the bright side, we haven't eaten in days and now we have a perfect opportunity." he smiles picking up a shiny, red apple.   
  
Brianna is about to reply when suddenly, they hear a car door slam shut.   
  
"Fuck!" she gasps.   
  
"So close." Josh sighs.  
  
"Okay umm..don't freak out. We can't use the hallway without being seen..we'll have to...go through the walls."   
  
Josh raises an eyebrow at her theory, but she is already checking for any loose planks in the wall. Thankfully, she finds one rather quickly.   
  
"Follow me!" she whispers already half way into the wall.   
  
Josh decides not to question it. There is no time to argue with her and it seems to be their best shot of getting back without getting caught. The pair manage to squeeze through in record time. Josh doesn't know exactly how she did it, but she managed to be able to find their way back to the room without any trouble.  
  
"Remember, you're supposed to be under the influence of sleeping pills. I hope you're a good actor. Don't let him rape you or anything but put on an act long enough to fool him." Josh whispers to her.  
  
In all honestly, he doesn't know what he will do if Brianna gets hurt.  
  
"No shit! Hurry up, he's coming!" she whisper yells, holding the plank open for him to pass through.   
  
She follows close behind him, shoving the cell phone back into her bra, and handing Josh back his jacket. Next, she hides the screwdriver in a nearby crate. Josh and Brianna run to their chairs, loosely tying themselves up again.   
  
"Sleep." Josh whispers.   
  
Brianna closes her eyes and tilts her head back. Her palms are sweaty, struggling to hold up the loosely tied knots. She takes a deep breath, steadying her breathing. She is supposed to be under the influence of sleeping pills, she has to make it look as realistic as possible.    
  
"Listen, if you get a chance to escape, you take it." Josh orders her before closing his own eyes. 

The room grows silent, aside from Josh and Brianna's hushed breathing. He's coming. Fear runs through their blood, enough to be paralyzing if they weren't tied up. It isn't long until they hear a door creek open, and the sound of heavy footsteps approaching them.   
  
Josh wearily opens his eyes, jumping slightly when he comes face to face with the man. He groans, squinting his eyes are the harsh light.   
  
"Rise and shine." the man smirks.   
  
"Go fuck yourself." Josh glares at him.   
  
"I don't think you realize just exactly who you are dealing with." he laughs.   
  
"A douchebag." Josh corrects him  
  
"I would shut your mouth if I were you, you have no leverage here."  
  
Josh mentally smirks.  _Oh, but they do_. He peers over his shoulder to glance at Brianna. She appears completely unconsious. As her chest gently rises and falls in time with her breathing, she appears peaceful.  
  
"Why did you take her too?" he asks out of sheer curiosity.   
  
"She saw too much." is all the man says before he is at Brianna's side.   
  
"Wake up princess." he orders loudly.   
  
Josh silently prays that Brianna keeps up the act. If she wakes up now, it's all over.  
  
The man lightly smacks her cheek. Still, she doesn't wake up.  
  
"Perfect." he smirks.   
  
"Why isn't she waking up?" Josh asks, "What did you do to her?"   
  
"Sleeping pills." he smirks, untying her.  
  
"You're  _sick,_  you know that?" Josh sneers at him through gritted teeth.   
  
Brianna's arms fall limp to her sides, almost lifeless. The man completely ignores Josh's comment.   
  
"What do you plan on doing with her? Raping her? Killing her? It isn't her problem you can't get to third base with a girl."   
  
"Of course not." he smiles, "I could become a registered sex offender if I rape her and someone finds out. Or she could get pregnant and then I would have to kill her. That's just a bunch of unnecessary legal crap that I'd rather not get myself involved with. It's too messy."   
  
Both Josh and Brianna listen to him in pure revulsion. It's sick that becoming a registered sex offender is his only concern. What the hell drives someone so far off of the rails that they are compelled to rape or kill an innocent girl?  
  
"But ** _you_**  of course, " he continues, "I can pin this entire thing on you. Nobody will believe you once dear old Brianna here finds out that you were her rapist and kidnapped her. The media, being the snakes that they are, will catch a whiff of this story and they will just tear you right up. You will be in jail and I'll be free, continue doing what I'm doing."   
  
With that being said, the walks over to Josh, beginning to untie the ropes.   
  
"You can't just force two people to have sex together." Josh replies humorously, rubbing his wrists.   
  
"You can when one of them is unconscious, and the other one has a gun locked on his head. Besides, I see the way you look at her Josh. You still find her extremely attractive and you're just itching to see her body again. I can see it in your eyes. You want this."   
  
"That's bullshit. I told you, I hate her." Josh protests in anger.  
  
"Whatever kid." he laughs, " _Believe what you want but let's just get one thing straight, you're going to do what I say without any complications or I will shoot you."_  
  
  
  
Katy paces around the tour bus in both confusion and frustration. She is silently trying to piece together what could have happened last night, but every different situation that she visualizes ends in horrible death. After a few minutes of intense pacing, she takes a seat beside Matt. She runs a hand through her hair. Then, she anxiously taps her manicured finger nails on a nearby table. She is unable to sit still.   
  
"What are we going to do?!" she finally exclaims.  
  
"It's okay. They're okay. We'll find them." Matt tries to reassure her, while trying to convince himself.

"It's almost been 24 hours since the concert and there's still no sign of them."   
  
"At least they're together." Matt offers.  
  
"Matt! That's even worse! Brianna can be a smartass and she hates Josh." she sighs, running a shaky hand through her hair for a second time since she sat down.   
  
"What the hell do I tell her parents?!" she exclaims after another minute of silence.  
  
"This isn't your fault." Matt turns to face her.  
  
"What if we never find her?! Remember that case that lasted 10 years?! What if they get killed?! Or she gets tortured and raped and-"   
  
"Hey." Matt softly says, " _We'll find them."_  
  
Katy debates on arguing with Matt. She opens her mouth to reply when suddenly, Matt's arms are wrapped around her, engulfed in a gentle, comforting, hug.


	5. Life or Death

The man circles Josh, his footsteps heavy on the hard floor. Josh's icy blue eyes stay locked on Brianna. Her long blonde hair, the way the dress she is wearing hugs her body, every part of her is truly captivating to him. His attention is breifly snapped away from the seeminly unconsious girl sitting in front of him, to the man now working away at the knots imprisioning his hands. 

  
The tight noose around his wrists loosens. Josh immediately brings his hands to the front of his body, rubbing his slightly scarred wrists. The man circles back around to face him. Josh's facial expression changes to an icy glare  
  
 _"I won't do it."_  he sneers.  
  
The corners of the man's mouth twitch upward. He begins to laugh. It takes him a moment to regain his breath before he speaks.

"Josh, I will kill you and you know that. Just cooperate and you'll get to live."   
  
" _Go ahead._  Do it.  _Shoot me._  I'm not a rapist." Josh says through gritted teeth.   
  
Brianna listens intently to the conversation.

The man leans closer to Josh, that same stupid smirk etched on his face as before.   
  
"Not yet. But I know somewhere deep inside of you, there is a primal instinct for desire. I can give you that desire. You'll feel alive and free."   
  
"That's where you're wrong. I may be a huge narcissistic dick sometimes, but I have no desire to hurt or rape anyone, let alone an innocent girl." Josh argues.  
  
The man doesn't move a muscle, still shamelessly invading Josh's personal space.  
  
"I thought you hated her anyways? Why not get her back for leaving you." he grins, "Unless of course the story you both fed me was bullshit."   
  
Josh keeps eye contact with the man, indicating that he is not afraid and he will not be treated like some slave. When Josh refuses to respond, the man grows tired of waiting. He leans back slowly, taking in every one of Josh's features, searching for a breaking point.   
  
"Tell you what, " the man sighs, finally breaking the silence, "you've got five minutes to decide."   
  
"Why even give me five? Just shoot me right now and end it. I don't care anymore." Josh screams at the man as he makes his way back towards the door.  
  
Turning around, he laughs.   
  
"I know you don't, which is exactly why I'm going to change your options. Do as I say, or  _I shoot her instead_." he smirks as he shuts the heavy wooden door.

Josh takes a few deep breaths, waiting a few seconds for the sound of footsteps to descend up the old wooden staircase. Brianna stays still, the silence starting to irritate her. 

"He's gone." Josh whispers to Brianna.  
  
Brianna's eyes fly open, uncontrollable silent tears invade her cheeks before she can stop them. Josh's hard facial features soften. He stands, taking a few steps towards the weeping blonde girl. He bends down, gently embracing her in a hug. For a moment he wonders if the physical contact is too much after the mention of rape. He breaths a silent sigh of relief when her arms slowly wrap around his body, returning the once awkward hug. She quietly sobs into his chest. How could her life have come to this?  
  
 _"I'm not going to do it. I would never-"_  he whispers in attempt to comfort her.  
  
"He's going to kill us if you don't." she replies in a choked sob no higher than a whisper.  
  
"No. I'll get you out of this, I promise." he swears, gently rubbing her back.  
  
"Just let him kill me." she whispers into his chest.  
  
"What?"   
  
Josh pulls away, softly grabbing her shoulders and staring into her bright blue eyes. He must have heard her wrong.  
  
"Let him kill me." Brianna repeats, "The police will get word of it sooner or later and you'll be free."   
  
"No." Josh shakes his head firmly.  
  
"If you have sex with me and I'm assumingly unconscious, you would not have my consent. It'll be considered rape and you'll be in prison for the rest of your life." she starts, "You have a life, Josh. Your fans adore you, people look up to you. I'm just a boring, average human being. No one looks up to me. More people will care if you die."  
  
Josh studies her for a moment. He wonders how such a beautiful woman can be so insecure.   
  
"Neither one of us is dying." he says sternly.  
  
"How can you be so sure?" she lifts her chin up to face him.   
  
"I have a plan."   
  
Brianna raises an eyebrow at him. Josh leans in close, whispering something into her ear. The scent of the perfume she is wearing nearly distracts him from the task at hand.  
  
"What about you?" her head snaps worriedly in his direction. 

"Don't worry about me, worry about yourself." Josh smiles, their faces only a few inches away from each other now.  
  
The closeness is startling, even to him. He leans back, digging deep into his pocket. He pulls out an apple that he had stolen from the cellar moments ago. He smiles, handing her the bright red apple.  
  
 _"Eat.""_ he orders her.  
  
Brianna stares at the apple.   
  
"You should eat it." she says softly, not wanting to eat the only food they have.   
  
"No. You're going to need all the energy you can muster." he insists.   
  
Brianna watches his face carefully. Finally, she reaches out for the red fruit, pulling it towards her lips and taking a bite. The juices from the apple explode in her mouth and her taste buds nearly jump for joy. It has been well over a day since she had last eaten anything. She was starving, to say the least.   
  
She smiles up at him, the fruit lifting her spirits and giving her a small sense of hope to hold on to. She smiles back at her, glad to see her happy for the first time since he had met her. She holds out the apple to him, wanting to share the taste with him. As he reaches out to gratefully take it, their hands brush against each other. Neither one of them pulls away. Their heads snap towards the other end of the room when they hear the distant echo of the same heavy footsteps as before.   
  
Without thinking twice, Josh swiftly takes her face in his hands, "It'll all be okay."   
  
He wipes away the stray tears lingering on her cheeks with his thumb. Her worried eyes meet his. He leans foreward, placing a tender kiss on her forehead.  
  
 _"I believe in you."_  Josh whispers, her face still in his hands.   
  
His eyes meet hers once again. He can feel her shallow breaths begin to increase. Reluctantly, he drops his hands from her face, walking back to take a seat on the chair he was previously tied to. Brianna takes one final glance towards him, silently praying for their plan to work, before reluctantly closing her eyes for a second time.  
  
A few seconds later, the heavy wooden door swings open with a loud creaking sound. Josh head snaps in the direction of the door, the sight of the man sending bile up his throat. This time the man is holding a small handgun aimed directly at Brianna.

"Have you made your decision?" the man asks in a gravelly voice.   
  
Josh's eyes scan his posture, stopping to focus on his finger, now lingering on the trigger,

 _"I'll do it."_  Josh replies firmly, still shooting daggers his way.   
  
"I knew you'd make the right decision." the man grins.   
  
 _Sick fuck._  Josh thinks to himself.   
  
"Now pick her up and follow me." the man orders in a demanding voice.  
  
Josh stands, taking a few steps towards Brianna's limp body. He bends down, gently moving her golden hair out out of the way as he scoops her up into his arms. He studies her face for a breif moment before he is interrupted.   
  
"Come on boy, we don't have all day!" he growls, aiming the gun at the pair.  
  
Josh follows the man towards the all too familiar hallway. Brianna's head hangs back, convincingly unconsious, and unknowing as to what is happening to her. He peers around the hallway, now illuminated with a dim light. He takes notice to his surroundings, studying every crevice for an exit. As if it were a gift from the Heavens, an open doorway lingers just a few steps to the right of him, taunting him. As he walks closer, he discreetly peers in only to reveal the wooden staircase. He also discovers an old protrait hanging loosly on the door. 

"That's a nice painting on the stairway door." Josh exclaims suddenly.   
  
The man ignores Josh and continues walking, the gun never leaving Josh's body.  
  
"Is it a family portrait?" he urges on.  
  
"Quit stalling. But yes, it's of a family who used to live here in the eighties." he sighs.   
  
Josh nods, seemingly interested in the portrait. He hopes Brianna is listening.

Finally the man grips a doorway only a few paces away from the exit. He turns on the light to reveal a large queen-sized bed in the center of the room. He remembers it. It was the room Brianna had been kept in only days ago.   
  
"Set her down on the bed." the man orders.  
  
Josh takes short, hesitant steps to the center of the room. He can feel Brianna quivering in her arms. His eyes soften, gently lying the _unconsious_ blonde down on the bed. He quietly takes a moment to admire her beauty, waiting for his next order.

"Get with the foreplay. Kiss her neck or something."   
  
He was not expecting that. Nevertheless, Josh slowly climbs onto the bed, straddling her fragile body. He leans down, only a few inches away from her face. He prays that Brianna doesn't move. He closes his eyes, leaning forward to plant tender butterfly kisses along her neck. Josh can feel the man's eyes glued on the pair. Josh continues kissing along the side of her neck, now stopping to suck on her skin in certain places. He notices Brianna's lips part in pleasure for a second. Josh immediately pulls back, blocking the view of Brianna's face from the sociopath. To his understanding, the man didn't notice.    
  
He reaches down slightly, gripping the hem of Brianna's dress and pulling it up slightly to reveal her milky thighs. He pauses, glacing over at the man.   
  
"Just do whatever feels natural." he commands.  
  
"Can't I get a little privacy?" Josh raises an eyebrow.   
  
"No."   
  
"You're going to watch..?"   
  
"I have to make sure you get the job done."   
  
"Can't you listen through the door or something? This is awkward. I can't uh..focus with you watching." Josh insists.  
  
"Alright fine. No tricks or she dies." he says walking towards the door, flashing the gun at Josh once more.  
  
Josh waits for the door to shut before he glances down at Brianna. He lightly taps her shoulder three times, giving her the signal that they had agreed on earlier. Brianna's eyes immediately fly open, unexpectedly pulling Josh's body back down against hers. He hovers over her, shocked at the sudden gesture. She examines his facewith lust-filled eyes. Finally, she grabs his face roughly with her hands, pressing their lips together in a heated kiss. 

 _ **Wow.**  _They both think to themselves, completely forgetting their current situation.

The mattress squeaks with their every movement. He is breathing heavily as her fingers tangle roughly in his hair. Their lips attack each other and Brianna pulls Josh even closer to her than before. They lose track of time, engulfed in each other, until Brianna's hands move to Josh's zipper. He hesitates, breaking the heated kiss. His eyes open to meet hers. Her eyes drift down to his lips. Josh knows that this isn't right, that he must stop her before this isn't safe.    
  
 _"This wasn't part of the plan."_  he whispers quietly, his eyes flickering down to her lips.

Brianna ignores him, the need for her lips to be on his again too strong to control. She pulls his head towards his, their lips meeting for a second time. Josh breaks the kiss immediately.   
  
"Stop." he whispers harshly.  
  
Brianna continues pressing sweet kisses to his collarbone.  
  
"Brianna stop." he repeats, gently grabbing her hands and pulling away from her.  
  
Her eyes study his expression and immediately soften. 

"Nows your chance." he whispers.  
  
 _"No._  Not without you." she whispers back harshly.  
  
He peers over every feature ofher face once more, dropping her hands and staring directly into her eyes.  
  
 _ **"Go."**_  he says forcefully.  
  
She nods, leaning forward to press on last kiss onto his lips.   
  
"Thank you." she chokes out, "I'm sorry."  
  
Josh nods with a sad smile. He hopes to see her again outside of this place. Tears sting her eyes as she brings her hand up, swinging it forward until it collides with Josh's cheek. Brianna shrieks, pushing his body to the ground with a loud thump. She scrambles to her feet, sprinting to the other side of the room and never looking back. Finding a loose wall plank, she disappears into the walls.  
  
Josh watches her, tears stinging his eyes as he watches her leave. He memorizes every detail of her as he lies there, holding his cheek in pain.   
  
A few seconds later, the man bursts into the room, guns blazing. Josh groans, cradling his cheek in a ball on the floor.   
  
 _"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!"_   the man yells, grabbing Josh by the collar and pulling him to his feet.   
  
"Sleeping pills wore off." Josh groans.   
  
 _"Damn it!"_  the man yells angrily before running out the door.   
  
Josh watches helplessly, hoping-praying that Brianna escapes.  
  
***  
  
Brianna's mind runs at a thousand miles per second as countless thoughts race through her mind. Did she really just make a move on Josh? Yes. Did she regret it? Nope. But she can't afford to think of her mixed feelings towards Josh right now. There's a man with a gun after her, she needs to focus every thought on getting the hell out of there.   
  
She runs mindlessly through the walls, praying to God the plan works. She is unarmed and extremely vunerable, with nothing but her bare fists left as a method of defense. Her hands shoot out, searching the wall desperately for another loose board. Her heart is beating one million miles per minute as she finally finds one, slipping through it quickly. She glances around the room quickly, now completely exposed. The man chasing her doesn't have a knife, this man has a gun. If he finds her, there is no way in hell she is making it out alive.

Her eyes scan the room, searching for somewhere to hide as she hears footsteps approaching. She ducks down behind some old, dusty boxes near the exit. She desperately tries to steady her uneasy breath as the door flies open. She places a hand over her mouth, her heart pounding in her chest. She holds her breath, trying not to draw any attention to her whereabouts.   
  
She listens to the man's heavy footsteps descend from the room once again. Brianna removes her hand from her mouth, peering over the side of the boxes to make sure the coast is clear. She takes a deep breath, sprinting to the exit. Luckily, she is unseen.  
  
Her footsteps lightly pound across the hard floor like the pitter patter of a small mouse. Finally she reaches the hallway that Josh and her had been exploring only hours prior. Immediately she spots the old painting on the door that Josh had described to her. She rushes forward, sliding through the narrow opening of the door and scampering up the narrow wooden staircase. 

" _I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE BITCH!"_ Brianna hears the man yell from at least two rooms away.   
  
"Crap." Brianna mumbles under her breath.

She reaches the top of the stairs, only to find yet another door.  _How many damn doors can be in this place?_ Without much thought, she pulls it open. Bright light immediately floods into the dimly lit basement. Brianna takes a once over of her new surroundings. It seems to be the main floor. The layout fascinates her; the furniture matches the curtains, the artwork on the walls is quite extravagant, and there are even a few instruments, guitars and a grand piano, displayed in a distant room.   
  
 _Huh, for some psychotic serial killer this guy has good taste._ Brianna thinks to herself. Her eyes finally meet the front door.  
  
 _Oh freedom. Sweet, sweet freedom._  she smiles.  
  
Brianna sprints towards the door. Her hand grips the handle and she freezes. In the distance, she can hear humming and the patter of pots and pans coming from the kitchen. 

  
"Eddie is that you?" a woman calls out, "Dinner is almost ready. I was thinking, since we both really don't want to be charged with murder, maybe we should bring some food down so they don't starve out."   
  
 _She knows about the captives in her basement and doesn't care? These people are sick._    
  
"Holy crap.." the female gasps, snapping Brianna away from her thoughts.  
  
Brianna's eyes widen. The woman stands about twenty feet from her. She decides that she has to move fast. As the woman steps towards Brianna, she tugs open the door without a word, sprinting outside.   
  
"EDDIE SHE'S GETTING AWAY!" the voice screams.   
  
 _Shh no no no shut up._  Brianna begs.  
  
Her feet move quickly, nearly tripping over the steps of the old farmhouse. When she reaches the end of the stone driveway, she picks a direction and runs, only briefly glancing back to memorize the house number and license plate.   
  
Brianna's throat is dry. It feels like a thousand tiny knives are stabbing her throat as she pants for air.  Her feet hurt and her lungs are begging her to stop for a moment. She ignores her pain and runs on.   
  
After a few minutes, she passes a street sign that reads  _"Spring Drive"._  She reaches down into her shirt, searching for Josh's phone in her bra. She finds successfully finds it, but nearly drops it when she hears a man's yell echo from down the street.  _Shit that bastard is fast._ She keeps running, carefully dialling 9-1-1 at the same time, praying the reception lasts. 

After a few rings the operator answers. Brianna explains everything in short, sharp sentences.   
  
 A man named Eddie kidnapped her, Brianna Bridges along with Josh Ramsay on October 15th at the Vancouver Coliseum. His address is 174 Spring Drive and she just managed to escape. Josh is still trapped. There is a women who is aware of the situation in the house and the man is chasing her with a gun. She also includes the license plate number.   
  
The woman directs me to the nearest store or public building, assuring her that help is on the way. The woman gives her directions to a pharmacy a few blocks away. She hangs up, wanting to save her energy for sprinting.   
  
As a child, Brianna had never enjoyed running, especially long distances. She avoided it at all costs and now she's making up for lost time. She has never ran so much in her life.   
  
Her lungs are practically on fire as she reaches the pharmacy. She dashes in, approaching the closest cashier. The cashier studies her with wide eyes, examining her revealing, poor excuse for a dress. He listens to her quick explanation. He gets the just of it.  
  
"There's a man. He kidnapped me. He tried to rape and kill me. He's chasing me. The cops are on their way and I need somewhere to hide!" she pleads, gasping for air.   
  
The cashier looks undecided. He's about to open his mouth to speak when Brianna cuts him off.  
  
"I was kidnapped! The police are on their way here and he's chasing me, no doubt parking his car right now or something. I need to hide or he will kill me!" she begs the cashier with tears streaming down her face, "Please you have to help me!"  
  
Thankfully, the cashier believes her story and directs her to the storage room. He informs the manager of the situation and returns to his post. The manager is a brunette in her mid-thirties, pretty attractive for her age. The manager asks me to explain my situation further, without leaving out any details.   
  
***  
  
Josh hears enraged yelling from upstairs. Josh smiles, happy tears flooding his eyes.  _She made it out._  
  
"YOU FUCKING LET HER GO!" the Eddie screams.   
  
"Eddie please-" the woman cries out in pain.   
  
"WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!"   
  
 _Fuck._    
  
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR YOU PATHETIC UGLY BITCH! GO GRAB HIM BEFORE THE POLICE SHOW UP."   
  
Josh can hear the light padding of feet against the wooden staircase as a pretty blonde enters the room.  
  
 _"Get up."_  she orders him.  
  
He examines her body in awe for a moment. Fresh bruises cover her arms, and a circle of black imprisons one of her eyes.  
  
 _"NOW!"_  she screams kicking him in the stomach.   
  
He groans in pain, hugging his stomach.   
  
"I SAID UP DAMNIT!" she shrieks, growing impaitent.   
  
Josh obeys, standing up and following her down the long corridor and up the wooden staircase.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Josh asks her as they make their way up the stairs.   
  
"Just shut up." she snarls through gritted teeth, obviously holding back tears.   
  
He reaches the main floor and her hand immediately latches onto his arm. Her long violet nails violently dig into his flesh as she guides him to the front door. Josh takes in his surroundings, just as Brianna did. The blonde rushes him out the door and into an old car. The engine roars to life as she shoves him into the backseat. He can hear police sirens blaring in the background.   
  
"Josh that was an idiotic move to play." the man says as he races away from the house.  
  
Josh stays silent. It's over for him and he knows it.   
  
"Don't you worry, you'll pay for screwing me over." he smiles.   
  
The women doesn't make a sound as Eddie turns onto an old dirt road, away from the house and away from his only sliver of hope.

***

Brianna sits in the back of an ambulance, a blanket wrapped snuggly around her shaking body. The police had arrived only a few minutes ago, Katy and Matt shortly afterwards.

"Holy crap Bri you're okay!" Katy cries happily embracing her in a hug.   
  
"More or less." Brianna smiles.   
  
"Katy?" a male voice calls, "How is she?"   
  
"Shes okay!" Katy smiles at him.

An attractive man with brown hair approaches the two. He looks oddly familiar.   
  
"This is Matt Webb, the guitarist."   
  
Brianna smiles politely at him. That's where she had seen him, plastered on the walls of Katy's room and of course, the concert.   
  
"How the hell did you manage to escape?" Katy asks suddenly.   
  
"I'll tell you after we get Josh." she smiles back, desperately trying to believe in her own words.   
  
Katy drops the blanket, stepping to her feet and walking towards one of police officers. She waits for him to address something on his walkie-talkie before he turns his attention towards her,  
  
"Did they find Josh?" Brianna asks eagerly.   
  
"The house was deserted when they arrived." the officer sighs.   
  
Brianna's heart drops in her chest. She nearly falls to the ground at the news.   
  
"No no no..you don't understand, Josh helped me escape and they are going to kill him for it." she begins to cry, shaking her head in disbelief.   
  
"We are doing everything we can to track them down, including tracking the license plate."   
  
"Okay." she sniffles, walking back towards her friend.   
  
Katy's smile fades as she discovers the disappointed look etched on my face.  
  
"They deserted the house." Brianna sighs addressing her attention towards the attractive guitarist.   
  
His face drops a little.   
  
"I gave them a license plate and they're doing all they can to find them." Brianna reassures him, desperately trying to convince herself.  
  
"Aw Bri." Katy sighs, pulling her in for another hug.  
  
"They'll find him." Brianna smiles into her friend's shoulder.   
  
 _And if they don't,_

_**I will.**  _


	6. Dear Diary, Get Me The Hell Out Of Here

_" Dear diary,_  
  
 _I feel incredibly stupid for writing this, but I don't want to talk to anyone about what happened. So here we are._  
  
 _I feel horrible._  
  
 _It's been about 4 days since I got free. The police found the car...abandoned at the side of a road in the middle of nowhere. I've lost any leverage I may have had and Josh is still out there. Everyone at school has suddenly taken an interest in me, pestering me for anything that happened with Josh._  
  
 _Josh._  
  
 _I have this feeling deep in my gut that Josh is going through hell as I write this stupid, pointless diary entry, trying to vent my dumb feelings. I don't even keep a diary for God sakes! I'm afraid to go anywhere alone now. I just feel so vulnerable._  
  
 _To say the least, the police have pretty much given up on finding Josh._  
  
 _I still have hope. I believe I will find him and he will be okay._  
  
 _Once I do, I will save him, no matter what it takes. Then I'm going to make sure I stay the hell away from him._  
  
  
  
  
 _...why am I still writing this?"_  
  
  
  
  
Brianna slams the book shut with an exaggerated groan and throws it at the wall. She decides that there is no point in pretending everything is okay when it really isn't. Her hands move to her head, running his fingers roughly through her knotted long blonde hair. Her hands shake with anger as she drops them on her bed. 

This is all her fault and she knows it. She should have never agreed to go along with that stupid plan. Yes, she called the police and did everything that she could, but it still wasn't enough. Josh is not safe there and she knows it. In the end, she has left another human being to his inevitable death. His blood will be on her. Nobody deserves to die that way, awful and bloody, alone and scared, it's cruel. She should have just went along with what ever Eddie was planning. Besides, having sex with Josh wouldn't be so bad...  
  
 _Did I really just think that...?  
  
_ In all honesty, Josh was kind of sweet, not the self-centered douchebag that he portrays himself to be.  
  
Brianna stares blankly at her wall. She can't even comprehend where to start. She refuses to pretend to be okay with leaving him behind. To hell with the stupid fake smiles and preppy voice! Eddie and whoever the women upstairs was are going to murder Josh. He won't live to make another album, to go on another tour, to get married and start a family all because of  _her._

She views herself as weak. Brianna can't handle herself, she never has been able to, and probably never will be. All of her life someone had been there to hold her hand. She has never done so much as lift a professionally manicured finger to do anything for herself. All of that is going to change. She has to pull herself together..for Josh.    
  
 _I will find a way to save him._  
  
***  
  
"So what will it be today Josh?" Eddie grins.   
  
"How about a nice foot massage and back rub?" Josh smirks, sarcasm lacing his voice.   
  
"Or I could beat the shit out of you again." he smiles.  
  
Josh leans forward, meeting Eddie's eyes.  
  
" _Go to hell_." he glares.   
  
"Something tells me that I'll meet you there someday." the man smirks.   
  
Josh feels frustrated beyond belief. He's tired, starving, and has come to accept his fate.  
  
"If you're going to kill me, just do it."   
  
"No where's the fun in that?"   
  
Josh closes his eyes, leaning back against the cold stone wall.   
  
"You know Josh." Eddie starts.  
  
Josh opens his eyes when he feels a slight tinge of pain on his neck. Already sore from the previous night of torture, he has no strength to fight back. A blade lingers on his neck, slightly piercing his top layer of skin. He inches forward slowly, feeling the blade dig deeper into his skin. Red liquid flows down onto the top of his chest. He only wishes he had the strength to lean forward and end his suffering.    
  
"If you would have just agreed to rape that spoiled little rich brat in the first place, we wouldn't be in this situation." he smirks, "But of course..you chose to be the good guy. Save the girl, even if it meant losing your own life. But I'm not going to make this easy for you, Josh. I'm going to make your life a living hell. I have a lot in store for you, this is only the beginning."   
  
Eddie removes the knife from Josh's neck.

"For now though, I have errands to run, so I'll leave you alone with your thoughts." he stands up, his mouth curved upward into a smile.

Josh watches the man leave. With the slam of a heavy door, he is left alone. He hasn't eaten anything for days or drank anything until earlier this morning. He's grown extremely weak, to say the least. The human body can only survive for so long without any food. Josh has come to the conclusion that his death will come sooner or later, whether it be by lack or food, gun, or knife. Right now he feels dizzy whenever he tries to stand up, preventing him from trying to escape. Eddie no longer keeps him tied up because of how weak he has grown.   
  
He stays in the basement like before. Only this time, he is enclosed in a tiny room. It seems like some sort of cell. Josh has absolutely no idea where he is being held, and he has lost track of what day-hell, even what month it is. Sometimes he wonders how long it has been sense he had any form of human contact with someone who isn't completely insane.   
  
Josh, being an insomniac, has been awake for nights on end before. But nothing is compared to this.   
  
The woman's name is Caroline. At first Josh felt pity towards her. When Eddie wasn't down in the basement beating the crap out of Josh, he was upstairs beating the crap out of his own wife. She took it, with him being her husband and all she felt like she had no other choice. It was a sick, twisted love, but it was love. Then one day, everything changed.   
  
Josh hadn't seen much of Caroline for awhile, only heard her screams in the dead of night. When Eddie went out of town for a few days, Caroline was left home alone. Josh was enjoying the silence and the sick sensation in his stomach that was begging for food. It was better than getting the shit kicked out of him by Eddie all day. He was hopeful when he heard her small feet pounding on the wooden steps. He thought for the slightest moment that she would rescue him.   
  
When the door swung open, a slim blonde girl stood before him, staring directly his way. At first she appeared frightened, unsure of what to say or do. Then, she took a few cautious steps towards Josh, her glance shifting to her feet. She took a deep breath, taking a seat beside Josh. She closed her eyes, beginning to vent out all of her frustration to him as she cried on and on about wanting to die. Josh didn't say a word, only listened to her loud cries of pure agony.   
  
After a while, she began to get angry, frustrated with the prolonged silence.  She screamed at Josh, asking if he knew what it felt like to be in love with someone who beat the crap out of them every single day. Still, Josh says nothing, unsure of how to respond. Tired and annoyed, Caroline began to pound on his chest. Josh closed his eyes as she did. She, however, continued with the beatings. Next came a slap across the face. Josh flinches at the sudden contact, but still didn't dare say a word. She continued to beat him, and he took it. He thought she deserved to let out her anger. Besides, what's a few slaps and punches right?  
  
The following day, Caroline came down again. Just like the previous day, she beat him. She beat him, and beat him until he was unable to sit upright. Then she left him. The day after that Eddie was home again, and Caroline's appearences became less and less frequent. The screams at night returned and everything was back to the way it was.   
  
It wasn't until yesterday that Caroline returned down to see him. Eddie was out of town again, doing God knows what. Just like before, Caroline went downstairs. Only this time, she came bearing water. Josh was suspicious at the time, unsure if he could trust her or not. The water was probably laced with sleeping pills or some drug that would no doubt end his life. He took his chances regardless, the buring desire in his throat out-weighing the gut feeling in his stomach. When she handed him the bottle, he drank it all, not even leaving the tiniiest drop of water. He thought that maybe, just maybe, Caroline felt sorry for hurting him. But he was so wrong.  
  
Little miss Caroline had a kinky obsession with pain-his pain. When her petite hands reached for the buttons on his shirt, he grew weary. Still, she set a sweet smile his way..before pulling out a pocket knife. Josh's eyes widen at the sight of the sharp silver object. His heart pounds against his ribcage, and he instantly regrets drinking that water. As the blade tears through the bare skin on Josh's chest, he cries out in pain. A small trail of blood drips down his body as he lies there, nearly lifeless. The cool metal rips through his flesh again...and again..and again..   
  
The last thing he remembers about this day is that after what felt like hours of torture, Caroline patched him up and went back about her own business. She made sure to cover her tracks, cleaning up the dry blood and buttoning his shirt back up. When she was done it was as if she had never been there to begin with.   
  
Now Caroline is back, along with her knife and water bottle. This time, Josh refuses to take the water. She insists, pinching his nose and forcing the liquid down his throat,   
  
"Come on Josh, don't make this difficult." she scowls at him.

Josh spits out onto her face, desperately gasping for air. Caroline gasps, taken back by Josh's actions. Today is the only day that Josh has fought back. 

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I just want to die?" Josh finally croaks, his throat dry and sore.  
  
"We can't have that, not under my watch. That's up to Eddie." she smiles deviously, "Now then, let's get started."   
  
She tosses the water bottle aside, straddling Josh's waist.   
  
"What the hell are you do-"  
  
He is cut off by her lips crashing into his. Josh desperately tries to free himself, but he is too weak. Soon he feels the familiar tearing of skin on his chest. Her hands hold his face firmly in place, enabling him to move. Josh's head swims with confusion as he screams out in agony.  
  
"Try to enjoy this." she whispers, her lips still attacking his.  
  
After a few moments Caroline's hands trail down to the zipper of his jeans. If Josh's throat wasn't so dry, he would have choked.   
   
"Can you imagine what this would feel like during sex? I can show you if you want...it's phenomenal."   
  
"You're sick." Josh manages to let out. 

 

"You'd be surprised." she smirks, letting the blade rip through his skin once again.   
  
Suddenly the pair hear the familiar sound of a car door shutting outside. Eddie must be home.   
  
Caroline jumps off of Josh, startled at Eddie's sudden arrival. She immediately tries to patch up the cuts, buttoning my shirt his again to hide the evidence.   
  
Then, she is gone. Josh lets out a sigh in relief until more footsteps ascend towards him on the wooden staircase.   
  
"Hey Josh, good to see you're awake!" Eddie calls.   
  
He isn't alone. In his arms is an unconsious boy. He is tied up with his mouth taped in about his late teens.  
  
"I have a new cellmate for you." Eddie smirks, shoving the unconscious boy to the floor beside Josh.


	7. Cellmates and Allies

"Hey." Josh whispers.  
  
Eddie had left the two alone, and the boy is still unconscious. Josh is determined to wake him up before Caroline's return. The night is dawning on them and it wouldn't be long now. He shakes the younger boy's shoulder lightly.  
  
"Hey, wake up!" Josh mutters, shaking the boy harder this time.   
  
Suddenly, the boy jolts upright. It takes him a second to realize where he is. He glances over at Josh and immediately jumps away from him, using every bit of strength he can muster up.   
  
"Who the hell are you?!" he panics.   
  
"Josh."   
  
"Where the hell am I? Did  _you_  bring me here?" the boy says in a shaky voice.  
  
"No. It seems you've been kidnapped." Josh sighs.   
  
There's no other way to put it. Josh thinks to himself. Might as well just tell the kid the truth.   
  
"What?! We have to get out of here!" he says suddenly up on his feet.   
  
He runs towards the heavy metal door keeping the pair locked in, and yanks hard on the handle.   
  
"It must be locked from the outside." Josh sighs.   
  
 _"HEY! LET ME GO!"_  the younger boy yells.   
  
"Shut up!" Josh snaps,"They aren't going to let us go, don't draw attention to yourself!"   
  
"How long have you been here?!" he turns towards Josh.   
  
"A week, maybe two." Josh sighs.   
  
"Have you even tried to escape?"   
  
"Yes." Josh says in a shaky voice.   
  
The memory of Brianna tugs at his heart. He misses her and can only hope that she made it out alive.   
  
The boy notices his expression change and raises an eyebrow.   
  
"There was a girl. She was kidnapped for trying to save me."   
  
"Did they kill her?" he asks.   
  
Josh shakes his head.   
  
"The man, his name is Eddie. He slipped some sleeping pills in her water. Thankfully, I saw the pills in his back pocket and once he was gone, I had her throw them up. I told her to act like the pills had affected her. When Eddie returned, he offered me a deal. He wanted me to rape the girl. I refused, and he threatened to kill me. I told him to go ahead and kill me, so he changed the deal. He knew I wanted to die if it meant saving her, so he threatened her life instead and left me to make my decision."   
  
"So you raped her?" the younger boy raises an eyebrow at Josh.   
  
"Let me finish." Josh pauses growing frustrated.   
  
The boy nods.   
  
"When we were alone, we thought of a plan. I was going to do everything Eddie asked of me, then I would have him leave the room and her sleeping pills would suddenly wear off. I told her to slap me and push me off of her to make things realistic, and that's when she made her escape."   
  
"How did she escape? Weren't you two locked up?"   
  
"She was smart. The old building we were locked in had wooden planks covering the walls. She found a loose one and escaped through the walls."   
  
"That's possible?"   
  
"Apparently." Josh smirks at the memory of her what seemed to be ridiculous plan.   
  
The younger boy nods before directing his attention to the blood stain on Josh's shirt.   
  
"What is that?" he asks curiously.   
  
Josh sighs as he unbuttons his shirt, exposing the fresh cuts from earlier today.   
  
"There's a girl. Her name is Caroline, his wife."   
  
"She did that to you?!"   
  
Josh nods before buttoning up his shirt.   
  
"But...why?"   
  
The elder shrugs before the pair hear footsteps.   
  
"Shut up and act like you're still asleep." Josh whispers frantically. This reminds him of when he and Brianna had tried to stage an escape what felt like ages ago, but it had only been weeks.

 

  
  
The heavy door suddenly opens to reveal Caroline. The tall, slim blonde glances at Josh.   
  
"I thought you were done for today." Josh says through gritted teeth.   
  
"Not even close." she smirks.   
  
Only this time, he notices there is no blade in her hand. Instead, she is wearing a thin robe, just thick enough to cover everything. She walks over to Josh and lays a gentle hand on his face.   
  
"You have such pretty eyes." she whispers.   
  
Josh shifts uncomfortably under her sudden weight as she sits on his lap. Suddenly, her lips are on his again. He struggles to push her away.   
  
"I have a girlfriend!" he mutters without thinking.   
  
His blue eyes study her face curiously before she responds.   
  
"Oh really? What if I told you that she was dead?"   
  
His eyes widen for a moment.   
  
"Are you referring to that little slut Brianna that just left you here to rot? She doesn't care about you! Well..she didn't anyways. Don't worry, we took care of her."   
  
"You didn't kill her." he says through gritted teeth.   
  
"Oh, but we did." she smirks.   
  
"No, she made her escape. She made it out of here alive."   
  
"Believe whatever you want hun, but she is gone."   
  
"Why are you doing this? Why make others suffer?" the younger boy suddenly speaks up.   
  
"Oh look, he's alive." she smirks getting off of Josh's lap and moving over to the younger boy.   
  
She makes sure to sway her hips seductively as she walks.   
  
"Are you going to kill us?" he asks.   
  
"Not yet." she smirks running a hand up the younger boy's thigh.   
  
"Answer me. Why are you doing this? Are you _bored? Lonely? Scared?"_    
  
"I think you're forgetting who's in charge here."   
  
"What did you even come down here to accomplish?" Josh glares at her.   
  
" _Both of you just shut up!"_    
  
She suddenly slaps the younger boy across the face and stands up.   
  
"If you don't like my company fine, I'll leave you here to rot." she smirks before leaving.   
  


 _"What the hell are you doing?!"_  Josh asks.   
  
"She was going to have sex with you or something!"   
  
"Don't get yourself involved, kid. I can handle myself."   
  
"You obviously can't. Look at your chest for God sakes!"   
  
"You're going to get yourself killed. When that man comes down here, he has a gun. Trust me when I say not to upset him."   
  
"To hell with that sick bastard!"   
  
"Just..get some sleep, kid. You'll need it tomorrow."   
  
"Would you stop calling me kid! I am 19 years old. Stop treating me like I'm five."   
  
"What's your name?"   
  
"Blake."


	8. New Faces

"I don't want to go." Brianna mumbles hiding her face in her bed sheets.

Katy sighs and places her hands on her hips.

"Goddamnit Bri, you're going if I have to drag you out of this bed myself!"

"I just want to stay home tonight."

"It's your birthday! Besides, when's the last time you had a good drink?"

"Leave me alone."

"You have an hour before we leave." Katy says sternly before leaving.

Brianna sighs. She's secretly been looking for Josh. She pulls out her journal and writes.

"Dear diary,

This is the second time I've done this, and I still feel incredibly stupid for it. I've secretly been looking for Josh this past week, skipping school. My parents think its because of what happened, they have no idea about Josh. I haven't told anyone. It's my birthday and Katy wants to go to a club tonight. How can I go clubbing when I know Josh is out there? The police have lost all hope, they're assuming he's dead and-"

She stops writing when she hears footsteps coming towards her room. She freezes for a moment, afraid of getting caught before hiding the diary under her pillow.

"Brianna?" her mother calls softly as she walks in the room.

"I think you should go with Katy tonight. It'll be good for you."

Brianna sits up and glances at the black dress laid out on her bed.

She sighs before nodding at her mother.

Her mother smiles before asking,"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little tired." she smiles.

Complete lie. Her mother kisses her forehead.

"Have fun tonight." she smiles before leaving the room.

Once she is left alone, Brianna strips down and puts on the dress. It hugs her body perfectly and comes down to about her mid thigh. She steps into a pair of black heels and straightens her long blonde hair. She applies some dark eye makeup and bright red lipstick and she's ready to go.

She sighs as she passes Josh's phone on her nightstand. He had told her to take it and call the police, but now he was left with nothing. If she had left him the phone, they could have tracked him. This is her fault.

"You'd better be dressed and ready to go!" her concerned friend yells up to her.

"I'll be down in a minute!" she yells back.

Brianna paces around her bedroom for a moment before turning to her bedside table. She grabs the phone and tucks it into her bedside table for safe keeping.

Taking a deep breath, she grabs her phone and a jacket, and heads downstairs to meet Katy.

"Ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." she smiles.

"You look amazing by the way." Katy smiles getting into her car.

"Thanks."

The pair arrive at the club in just under ten minutes.

Brianna takes a brief glance around before she is approached by a man.

"Hey there sexy." the man slurs his words, touching Brianna's shoulder.

"Got off of me." she snaps, tugging her arm away from him and heading towards the bar.

"You okay?" a man asks as she sits down on a barstool.

"Far from it." she responds as she waves the bartender over.

"Want to talk about it?" he offers politely.

"Oh no. There's no way in hell I'm going to be one of those girls who gets drunk out of their minds and tells their whole freaking life story to some sleazy guy they've never seen before in their life." she says turning towards the man.

"I like you." he smiles.

"Well I'm glad you're enjoying my mental breakdown."

"Alex." he smiles at her.

"Brianna." she sighs.

The bartender returns and Brianna pulls out her purse.

"Allow me." he smiles handing the bartender the money.

"You didn't have to do that." Brianna smiles,"But thank you."

"Do you want to dance?" Alex asks with a smile.

Brianna takes a brief pause to address the situation. Aw what the hell.

"Sure." she grins taking his hand.

Alex guides Brianna to the dance floor. She's a little tipsy from the alcohol she has just consumed, but nothing she can't handle.

Brianna begins to bounce on her heels to the beat of the music, softly swaying her hips back and forth.

Suddenly she is in front of Alex, grinning like this was the best moment of her life.

Future Starts Slow by the Kills plays loudly throughout the room. Brianna soon finds her hands on the stranger's shoulders, moving to the rhythm of the music.

Alex stares at her in confusion, before hesitantly placing his hands on her waist. Brianna giggles and continues to sway her hips. A few seconds later, Brianna finds herself pressed up against Alex and being spun around so that her back is to him. She begins to grind up against him. It takes her another minute, but she finally realizes what she is doing. Her mind tells her to stop dancing with this stranger, but her body is too drunk to respond.

 _"BRIANNA?"_  Katy suddenly asks with wide eyes.

"Oh my God..." Brianna Gasps jumping away from Alex.

"I am so so sorry...I'm not usually like this..I swear I just.." Brianna panics.

"It's okay, it's fine." he says reassuringly.

"Look I'm not acting like myself tonight..." she apologizes.

"Don't worry about it." Alex smiles, "But hey, maybe I could take you out some time...you know...when you're sober?" he laughs nervously.

"I would really like that." she blushes, "Here...can I give you my number?"

"Of course." he smiles.

Alex hands Brianna her phone. Once she makes herself a new contact, she sends a text to herself and hands Alex his phone back.

"Brianna we'd better go." Katy nudges Brianna's shoulder.

Brianna bites her lip and nods.

"Call me sometime." she smiles sweetly.

"I will." Alex smiles.

Katy grabs Brianna by the hand and pulls her out of the club.

"Are you drunk?" she demands.

"A little tipsy..." Brianna sighs.

"You realize you could have easily been raped or something!" she yells, "You can't just go off dirty dancing with some sleazy guy at a club you've just met!"

Brianna rolls her eyes.

 _"Really? Because you sure as hell do."_  Brianna scowls in frustration.

 _"Excuse me?"_  Katy scoffs.

"Katy I didn't-"

"Save it. If you think I'm such a _slut_ , go find your own way home. Maybe you can catch a ride with that guy back in the club." Katy snaps, turning a heel and walking towards her own car, leaving Brianna in the dark alley all alone.

 

 

"Hey!" Josh whispers frantically.

Blake stirs in his sleep but does not wake up.

"Blake wake up!" Josh whispers again.

The younger boy jerks awake before groaning.

"I was hoping this was just a nightmare and I would wake up in my own bed..but instead I wake up in this place." he whines.

Josh smirks a little before sighing.

"Trust me, ever since I've been kidnapped, I've been wishing this is a nightmare but the truth is, it's not. This is the real world. Nothing can change that. The sooner you learn to accept it, and come to terms with the fact that we are here in a dark cold cell, being tortured, the sooner we can come up with a plan to get the hell out of here." Josh sighs.

There is a brief pause of silence for a moment when suddenly the younger boy speaks up.

"Have you ever been in love?" he asks.

If Josh's throat wasn't so raw an dry he wouldn't choked on his own saliva.

"What?"

"Did you love her?"

"Who? You're speaking in riddles here man."

"That girl who was in here with you, Brianna."

"Oh." Josh sighs, "No, I barely knew her."

"Are you falling in love with her?"

Josh thinks about the question for a minute. His mind immediately goes back to her escape..and the kiss. She didn't want to leave him, instead she kissed him. Is he falling for a girl that he barely even knows? He didn't know for sure. He doesn't even know what it is like to be in love. The one thing he knows for sure is that the kiss meant something. There were sparks, even fireworks that went off in his head.

Finally, he responds.

"I don't know what it's like to be in love." Josh sighs, "But from what I've heard it's pointless, stupid and painful."

The younger boy looks at Josh, opening his mouth to reply when suddenly, the boys hear a noise.

"Someone is coming." Blake says in barely a whisper.

The heavy metal door slowly begins to open, making a high pitch squeaking sound with every movement. They boys listen intently. Other than the squeaking, another sound can be heard. Sounds of struggle. As the door swings half way open, they can see a girl. Eddie has her, and she is wearing nothing but her bra and underwear. Her mouth is covered by a tied up cloth as she desperately struggles to be free of Eddies grasp. Her attempts fail and she is pushed into the room, right into Josh.

"Have fun with your new slut." Eddie smirks as he slams the metal door shut once again.

Contact with the girl sends Josh flying backwards, slamming into the cold wall.

 

 

Brianna's back hits the cold wall hard. She is panting to catch her breath. All she can feel is his lips on hers. His hands stay on her waist, hers on his face. The taste of alcohol is on both of their mouths. Brianna laughs as he begins to kiss down her neck softly. She grabs his face in her hands, gently guiding him back to her own lips. She smiles as their lips meet again. The kiss is getting heated as he desperately kisses her.

Finally, she breaks away from the kiss, panting.

"What's wrong?" Alex pants.

"I can't go any further."

"What is it? Did I hurt you?"

"No no..you were great...amazing. I just don't want to go too far, especially since we're both drunk."

"That's okay." he smiles.

"Thank you."

He removes his hands from her waist, but her hands catch his.

"That doesn't mean we can't still make out." she says with a smile.

He smiles as their lips meet again. This time, the kiss doesn't get as heated as their lips gently move in unison. After a few more minutes, she breaks away from the kiss yet again.

"I just remembered I have to be home before midnight." she lies.

The truth really was that she is afraid that if she stays, she'll end up loosing her virginity to some guy she had just met.

"Do you need a ride home?" he asks.

Their eyes meet and all she wants to do is kiss him again.

Instead she replies, "If it isn't any trouble."

"Of course it isn't." he smiles grabbing her hand.

She follows him to his car. She is sobering up when she finally comes to the realization that he is drunk too.

"Wait." she says as they reach the car, "You're drunk."

"My apartment is about a block from here if you don't mind the walk." he offers.

"Okay." I smile.

When they finally reach his apartment, he hands Brianna some pajamas and offers his bed.

"I can't do that to you, I'll be fine on the couch!" Brianna insists.

"No way. You are the guest, and you get to sleep on the bed."

Brianna feels a sudden sleepiness wash over her, and she agrees to take the bed.

He gives her a light peck on the lips before she drifts off to sleep.


	9. Pleasure & Sick Little Games

"I don't want to go." Brianna mumbles hiding her face in her bed sheets.

Katy sighs and places her hands on her hips.

"Goddamnit Bri, you're going if I have to drag you out of this bed myself!"

"I just want to stay home tonight."

"It's your birthday! Besides, when's the last time you had a good drink?"

"Leave me alone."

"You have an hour before we leave." Katy says sternly before leaving.

Brianna sighs. She's secretly been looking for Josh. She pulls out her journal and writes.

"Dear diary,

This is the second time I've done this, and I still feel incredibly stupid for it. I've secretly been looking for Josh this past week, skipping school. My parents think its because of what happened, they have no idea about Josh. I haven't told anyone. It's my birthday and Katy wants to go to a club tonight. How can I go clubbing when I know Josh is out there? The police have lost all hope, they're assuming he's dead and-"

She stops writing when she hears footsteps coming towards her room. She freezes for a moment, afraid of getting caught before hiding the diary under her pillow.

"Brianna?" her mother calls softly as she walks in the room.

"I think you should go with Katy tonight. It'll be good for you."

Brianna sits up and glances at the black dress laid out on her bed.

She sighs before nodding at her mother.

Her mother smiles before asking,"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little tired." she smiles.

Complete lie. Her mother kisses her forehead.

"Have fun tonight." she smiles before leaving the room.

Once she is left alone, Brianna strips down and puts on the dress. It hugs her body perfectly and comes down to about her mid thigh. She steps into a pair of black heels and straightens her long blonde hair. She applies some dark eye makeup and bright red lipstick and she's ready to go.

She sighs as she passes Josh's phone on her nightstand. He had told her to take it and call the police, but now he was left with nothing. If she had left him the phone, they could have tracked him. This is her fault.

"You'd better be dressed and ready to go!" her concerned friend yells up to her.

"I'll be down in a minute!" she yells back.

Brianna paces around her bedroom for a moment before turning to her bedside table. She grabs the phone and tucks it into her bedside table for safe keeping.

Taking a deep breath, she grabs her phone and a jacket, and heads downstairs to meet Katy.

"Ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." she smiles.

"You look amazing by the way." Katy smiles getting into her car.

"Thanks."

The pair arrive at the club in just under ten minutes.

Brianna takes a brief glance around before she is approached by a man.

"Hey there sexy." the man slurs his words, touching Brianna's shoulder.

"Got off of me." she snaps, tugging her arm away from him and heading towards the bar.

"You okay?" a man asks as she sits down on a barstool.

"Far from it." she responds as she waves the bartender over.

"Want to talk about it?" he offers politely.

"Oh no. There's no way in hell I'm going to be one of those girls who gets drunk out of their minds and tells their whole freaking life story to some sleazy guy they've never seen before in their life." she says turning towards the man.

"I like you." he smiles.

"Well I'm glad you're enjoying my mental breakdown."

"Alex." he smiles at her.

"Brianna." she sighs.

The bartender returns and Brianna pulls out her purse.

"Allow me." he smiles handing the bartender the money.

"You didn't have to do that." Brianna smiles,"But thank you."

"Do you want to dance?" Alex asks with a smile.

Brianna takes a brief pause to address the situation. Aw what the hell.

"Sure." she grins taking his hand.

Alex guides Brianna to the dance floor. She's a little tipsy from the alcohol she has just consumed, but nothing she can't handle.

Brianna begins to bounce on her heels to the beat of the music, softly swaying her hips back and forth.

Suddenly she is in front of Alex, grinning like this was the best moment of her life.

Future Starts Slow by the Kills plays loudly throughout the room. Brianna soon finds her hands on the stranger's shoulders, moving to the rhythm of the music.

Alex stares at her in confusion, before hesitantly placing his hands on her waist. Brianna giggles and continues to sway her hips. A few seconds later, Brianna finds herself pressed up against Alex and being spun around so that her back is to him. She begins to grind up against him. It takes her another minute, but she finally realizes what she is doing. Her mind tells her to stop dancing with this stranger, but her body is too drunk to respond.

 _"BRIANNA?"_  Katy suddenly asks with wide eyes.

"Oh my God..." Brianna Gasps jumping away from Alex.

"I am so so sorry...I'm not usually like this..I swear I just.." Brianna panics.

"It's okay, it's fine." he says reassuringly.

"Look I'm not acting like myself tonight..." she apologizes.

"Don't worry about it." Alex smiles, "But hey, maybe I could take you out some time...you know...when you're sober?" he laughs nervously.

"I would really like that." she blushes, "Here...can I give you my number?"

"Of course." he smiles.

Alex hands Brianna her phone. Once she makes herself a new contact, she sends a text to herself and hands Alex his phone back.

"Brianna we'd better go." Katy nudges Brianna's shoulder.

Brianna bites her lip and nods.

"Call me sometime." she smiles sweetly.

"I will." Alex smiles.

Katy grabs Brianna by the hand and pulls her out of the club.

"Are you drunk?" she demands.

"A little tipsy..." Brianna sighs.

"You realize you could have easily been raped or something!" she yells, "You can't just go off dirty dancing with some sleazy guy at a club you've just met!"

Brianna rolls her eyes.

 _"Really? Because you sure as hell do."_  Brianna scowls in frustration.

 _"Excuse me?"_  Katy scoffs.

"Katy I didn't-"

"Save it. If you think I'm such a _slut_ , go find your own way home. Maybe you can catch a ride with that guy back in the club." Katy snaps, turning a heel and walking towards her own car, leaving Brianna in the dark alley all alone.

 

 

"Hey!" Josh whispers frantically.

Blake stirs in his sleep but does not wake up.

"Blake wake up!" Josh whispers again.

The younger boy jerks awake before groaning.

"I was hoping this was just a nightmare and I would wake up in my own bed..but instead I wake up in this place." he whines.

Josh smirks a little before sighing.

"Trust me, ever since I've been kidnapped, I've been wishing this is a nightmare but the truth is, it's not. This is the real world. Nothing can change that. The sooner you learn to accept it, and come to terms with the fact that we are here in a dark cold cell, being tortured, the sooner we can come up with a plan to get the hell out of here." Josh sighs.

There is a brief pause of silence for a moment when suddenly the younger boy speaks up.

"Have you ever been in love?" he asks.

If Josh's throat wasn't so raw an dry he wouldn't choked on his own saliva.

"What?"

"Did you love her?"

"Who? You're speaking in riddles here man."

"That girl who was in here with you, Brianna."

"Oh." Josh sighs, "No, I barely knew her."

"Are you falling in love with her?"

Josh thinks about the question for a minute. His mind immediately goes back to her escape..and the kiss. She didn't want to leave him, instead she kissed him. Is he falling for a girl that he barely even knows? He didn't know for sure. He doesn't even know what it is like to be in love. The one thing he knows for sure is that the kiss meant something. There were sparks, even fireworks that went off in his head.

Finally, he responds.

"I don't know what it's like to be in love." Josh sighs, "But from what I've heard it's pointless, stupid and painful."

The younger boy looks at Josh, opening his mouth to reply when suddenly, the boys hear a noise.

"Someone is coming." Blake says in barely a whisper.

The heavy metal door slowly begins to open, making a high pitch squeaking sound with every movement. They boys listen intently. Other than the squeaking, another sound can be heard. Sounds of struggle. As the door swings half way open, they can see a girl. Eddie has her, and she is wearing nothing but her bra and underwear. Her mouth is covered by a tied up cloth as she desperately struggles to be free of Eddies grasp. Her attempts fail and she is pushed into the room, right into Josh.

"Have fun with your new slut." Eddie smirks as he slams the metal door shut once again.

Contact with the girl sends Josh flying backwards, slamming into the cold wall.

 

 

Brianna's back hits the cold wall hard. She is panting to catch her breath. All she can feel is his lips on hers. His hands stay on her waist, hers on his face. The taste of alcohol is on both of their mouths. Brianna laughs as he begins to kiss down her neck softly. She grabs his face in her hands, gently guiding him back to her own lips. She smiles as their lips meet again. The kiss is getting heated as he desperately kisses her.

Finally, she breaks away from the kiss, panting.

"What's wrong?" Alex pants.

"I can't go any further."

"What is it? Did I hurt you?"

"No no..you were great...amazing. I just don't want to go too far, especially since we're both drunk."

"That's okay." he smiles.

"Thank you."

He removes his hands from her waist, but her hands catch his.

"That doesn't mean we can't still make out." she says with a smile.

He smiles as their lips meet again. This time, the kiss doesn't get as heated as their lips gently move in unison. After a few more minutes, she breaks away from the kiss yet again.

"I just remembered I have to be home before midnight." she lies.

The truth really was that she is afraid that if she stays, she'll end up loosing her virginity to some guy she had just met.

"Do you need a ride home?" he asks.

Their eyes meet and all she wants to do is kiss him again.

Instead she replies, "If it isn't any trouble."

"Of course it isn't." he smiles grabbing her hand.

She follows him to his car. She is sobering up when she finally comes to the realization that he is drunk too.

"Wait." she says as they reach the car, "You're drunk."

"My apartment is about a block from here if you don't mind the walk." he offers.

"Okay." I smile.

When they finally reach his apartment, he hands Brianna some pajamas and offers his bed.

"I can't do that to you, I'll be fine on the couch!" Brianna insists.

"No way. You are the guest, and you get to sleep on the bed."

Brianna feels a sudden sleepiness wash over her, and she agrees to take the bed.

He gives her a light peck on the lips before she drifts off to sleep.


	10. Last Night of Torture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS CONTENT THAT MAY BE EXTREMELY GORY**

Brianna smiles as Alex opens the car door for her. He walks her up to the porch and she turns to look at him.   
  
"Thank you." she says with a sweet smile.   
  
"Oh it's nothing really. You know me, always helping out the drunken damsels in distress!" he laughs sarcastically.   
  
She rolls her eyes with a giggle, being taken by surprise when her air supply is suddenly cut off. Alex grabs her, smashing his lips into hers. Immediately, their lips move in sync with each other. They both pull away.   
  
"Wow." they both whisper.   
  
Her eyes flicker open meeting his, all she can do is smile at him.   
  
"Call me sometime." she says softly.   
  
"Definitely." he replies.   
  
She shoots one last smile at him before opening the door to her house. They quickly exchange their goodbyes and Brianna enters the house.   
  
  
***  
  
  
"What do we do?" Anna asks in a small voice.   
  
"It's a sick little game, he doesn't plan of letting us go. He's doing this for his own entertainment." Josh explains with a sigh.   
  
"Maybe if we come up with a plan we can-" Blake starts.   
  
"It won't work. There's only one way out of this room,he's probably got it blocked off. This is exactly what he wants us to do, think that we might have a chance if we stick together. The truth is, we don't. Even if we get someone to distract him, someone gets hurt-gets potentially killed in the crossfire. I don't know about you guys, but I don't plan on that happening."   
  
"Josh...it's our only hope right now." Anna whispers looking up at Josh.   
  
They are in the same position as before. Josh is holding Anna protectively in his arms while Blake is on the opposite side of the cell, knees to his chest.   
  
"I told you I wasn't going to let you die in here, and I stand by my word. This  _game_ is exactly how you will end up dead." Josh says softly.   
  
  
***  
  
Brianna sighs in bliss one final time. She reaches down, removing her heels from her now aching feet. When she hears footsteps, she knows exactly what is coming next.   
  
"BRIANNA MARIE BRIDGES!" her mother yells as soon as she has Brianna in her sights, "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN ALL NIGHT?"   
  
"I stayed over at Katy's." she lies praying that her mother hasn't been in contact with Katy.  
  
"WELL WOULD IT KILL YOU TO PICK UP YOUR PHONE AND SEND ME A TEXT OR CALL LETTING ME KNOW THAT YOU WEREN'T KIDNAPPED BY SOME SICK MAN?!"   
  
Brianna immediately freezes, horrible images instantly flooding her head of memories she wishes she could forget. Brianna's mother immediately notices the sudden change in her daughter's behaviour. She regrets resurfacing horrible, excruciating memories and pulls her daughter into a comforting motherly hug.   
  
"Mom...I have to tell you something." Brianna confesses.  
  
  
  
***

  
"He's going to kill us no matter what we do! Eventually we will all be dead!" Anna suddenly yells, jumping out of Josh's arms.  
  
"How would you rather die? Eddie raping the shit out of you, cutting you open and making you watch as your intestines spill out onto the table, maybe soaking you with bleach to make things worse?! Or...a nice bullet to the head?! Done and over with within a few seconds." Josh raises his voice slightly higher, making sure it isn't loud enough to be heard by Eddie or Caroline.  
  
Anna stares at Josh in shock.   
  
"It's the truth Anna, you needed to hear it! No matter how gory it is!" Josh says.   
  
"Actually," Blake cuts in, "I highly doubt that the Bastard would shoot us in the head, and any bullet wound that is not to the head, neck, or heart, will take a maximum of 6 hours for us to bleed out if he has any sense of aim. Him cutting us open would be excruciatingly painful, but after a certain amount of time, your body naturally goes into shock and you won't feel anything. Bleeding out from that only takes about an hour and a half. Then there's the bleach factor and-"   
  
"What the hell are you saying right now?" Josh says with wide eyes.  
  
"I took a course or two-"   
  
"In what?! Psychopaths 101?!" Anna says in shock.   
  
"Well I have a plan to get out of here so..." Blake trails off quietly.  
  
"Well, don't just sit there and give us facts about death! Tell us!" Anna says a little too loudly.  
  
"Shh. The last thing we need is Eddie hearing us." Josh says quietly.   
  
"Okay well..I'm assuming this house is out in the middle of nowhere, making it hard for us to escape. In old houses like this one, there is usually a room that is unfinished in the basement. Sick little Eddie made the room into a holding cell. Assuming by the amount of noise we can hear when someone arrives home, we are in the room directly under the garage." Blake explains in a whisper.   
  
Now, the three captives are in a little circle, making it easy to whisper to one another.   
  
"How exactly does that help..?" Josh asks quietly.   
  
"Eddie strikes me as the type of guy who likes his alcohol." Blakes says waiting for someone to interrupt him.   
  
When no one does, he continues,"If we can find some sort of storage room, where Eddie keeps his booze, we can make a molotov cocktail."   
  
The group contemplates the idea for a second.   
  
"How will we get to the storage room without being caught?" Josh whispers.   
  
"We wait."   
  
"For what, exactly?" Anna asks.   
  
"Each night, I'm talking late at night here...Josh you're usually asleep." Blake says taking a breath, lowering his voice even more, "I can hear Eddie abusing Caroline. It goes on for awhile. That's when we make our move to the storage closet."  
  
"Why don't we just try to escape then? Wouldn't it make more sense?" Anna asks.   
  
"Considering Eddie probably has a gun on him, and something set off to trigger an alarm when we try to escape.." Josh explains.   
  
"Bad idea?" Anna asks.   
  
"Bad idea." Josh nods in agreement, "But..if we can get the booze, where the hell are we going to get a lighter and rags?"   
  
"Rags or cloth will probably be in the storage room, as for the lighter..." Blake pauses, "If we're lucky, it'll be somewhere in the basement."  
  
"I have a knife too." Josh says.   
  
Anna and Blake both look at him in confusion.   
  
"What? It was Halloween a few months ago and I left the pocket knife in these pants so.."  
  
"And you haven't washed them??" Anna asks.   
  
"Of course I have! I just didn't feel like putting the knife away so I left it in the pocket after I washed the pants." Josh responds.  
  
"O-kay..." Blake says awkwardly.   
  
"Would it be safe to drink that water...?" Anna asks eying the water.   
  
"Well...last time he tried to roofie the other girl who was in here so-"  
  
"Other girl?!" Anna asks, "She escaped??"   
  
"It's a long story." Josh sighs.   
  
He wants-needs so desperately to forget about Brianna. She's okay. She's alive. She's looking for a way to save me.  
  
"We've got time." Anna says.   
  
  
***  
  
"Of course, honey. What is it?" Brianna's mother asks.   
  
Concern floods her voice and Brianna takes a shaky breath.   
  
"You don't know the full story of what happened to me when I was kidnapped..." Brianna says softly.   
  
"He didn't-" Brianna's mother starts.   
  
"Mom...just let me explain, please!"   
  
Brianna's sudden outburst frightens her mother, still her mother nods and agrees to listen to what Brianna has to say.   
  
"I was taken the night of that Marianas Trench concert, when I was with Katy. The man who was taken with me, he's the lead singer of the band we went to see. The guy who kidnapped me, he separated us at first, gave me a slutty rag to wear. Which is why when the police found me, I was barely wearing anything. I was terrified he was going to kill me. Josh snuck into the room I was kept in, we made up some ridiculous back story that somehow convinced the man to put us together in the same room again. He tied us to chairs, and tried to drug me. I actually drank the water, but Josh-that was the singer's name-he made me throw them up. My hands were bound so he stuck his fingers down my throat himself. He knew because he saw sleeping pills in the back pocket of the man's pants. Even though the sleeping pills were out of my system, I had to act like I was drugged and had no idea about the pills that were slipped into my drink. The man wanted Josh to rape me."   
  
Brianna's mother's jaw dropped open, tears lingered at the corners of her eyes.   
  
"When Josh refused, he said he was going to kill me if he didn't agree."   
  
"Brianna why didn't you-"   
  
"So he agreed. The sickest part-the man wanted to watch!" Brianna is crying now, "He wanted to watch me get raped! He wanted to see my reaction when I woke up and I wasn't a virgin anymore!"   
  
  
Brianna takes a moment to collect herself.   
  
"But Josh didn't rape me. The sick man watched until I was half naked, then Josh begged him for privacy. He agreed, but still waited outside the door. That's when Josh told me to beat him up, and make a run for it. He even gave me his phone to call the police."   
  
Her mother instantly hugs her tighter.   
  
"He's still there, mom. I told the police where the house was, but they had already moved him. The man who saved my life could be dead! They stopped looking. They told me it was too late!"   
  
"We'll find him." Brianna's mother promises.   
  
Brianna suddenly runs upstairs, leaving her mother in shock. After a moment or two, she follows her daughter to her room.   
  
Brianna opens her drawer, pulling out Josh's phone and unlocking it. There are over 50 calls and texts. She finds a familiar name, and calls it.   
  
  
  
"I really need to get going, Brianna will be calling me any second." Katy smiles up at Matt.   
  
"Alright." he smiles sweetly. 

"Thank you for listening to my drunken rant about Brianna last night." she giggles.  
  
"Anytime. That is, as long as you are willing to listen to me rant about my idiotic bandmates every once in awhile."   
  
"Hmm sounds fair." she smiles.   
  
Their eyes meet for a second, before Matt's phone rings.   
  
"Now who could that be?" Matt asks grabbing his phone from his pocket.   
  
When the name _"Josh"_  lights up his screen, Matt answers in a hurry.  
  
"Josh? What the hell man, where are you?!"   
  
Katy looks up at Matt in confusion.   
  
"It's me, Brianna." Brianna sighs from the end of the line.   
  
Matt is a little disappointed.   
  
"Oh. Wait, how do you have his phone?" he asks.   
  
"He gave it to me to use when I escaped. Matt, we have to find him."   
  
"But the police-"   
  
"The police are doing shit-all to find him! I'm alive because of him, I need to find him." Brianna replies, "Look, I'm about to talk to Katy, maybe you should come too."   
  
"Where..?" Matt asks.   
  
"I want to go back to that house he was keeping us at. Maybe there's some clues there as to where they took him."   
  
"Is that really a good idea?"   
  
"Look Matt, I'm going with or without you and Katy." she says in a serious tone.   
  
"Alright..fine."   
  
"I'm about to text Katy now."   
  
As if on cue, Katy's phone goes off.   
  
"Shit!" Katy mumbles struggling to put her phone on silent.   
  
"Matt....is Katy over there?" Brianna asks carefully.   
  
Matt looks at Katy with wide eyes. Busted.   
  
"Can the both of you just stop making out or whatever it is you're doing and be here in ten minutes?"   
  
"Yeah..." Matt sighs giving up.   
  
"Great. See you then."   
  
  
***  
  
  
"So you technically saved that girl's life?" Anna asks Josh.   
  
"I uh...I guess..."   
  
"Guys shh....do you hear that?" Blake quietly.   
  
The three listen carefully. They hear pounding around upstairs. Suddenly, something shatters.   
  
"You like that, bitch?!" Eddie yells.   
  
"It's time." Blake announces.  
  
"Everybody knows their part?" Josh asks.   
  
Anna and Blake nodd.   
  
One by one, the captives slip out of the isolated room and into the basement. They can see a closed door at the top of a narrow staircase.   
  
"That's where he's expecting us to go." Josh whispers pointing to the door.   
  
Josh, Anna and Blake all scatter, checking around the basement for supplies they can use.   
  
"Eddie stop! Please!" Caroline's muffled screams and pleds can be heard from the room above.   
  
The captives ignore the screams and continue their search.   
  
Josh wonders around the basement, gathering any rags he can find. Blake opens a door, revealing a storage closet stocked with different types of vodka and whiskey. He grabs a few bottles. Anna wonders aimlessly around the basement. The only way their plan will work is if she can find a lighter. She carefully digs through box after box, until by some miracle, she finds a pack of smokes, next to a packet of matches and a lighter.   
  
"Jackpot." she whispers.   
  
She grabs the lighter and the matches, and makes her way back to the isolated room.   
  
Blake immediately gets to work. Soaking the rags in whiskey and vodka, bottle after bottle. Soon enough, the group has six molotov cocktails ready to go.  
  
"What now?" Anna asks.   
  
"We need more lighters, if we can find them." Blake sighs.   
  
"I scoured the entire basement, that's all I could find." Anna says.   
  
"I'll go look." Blake sighs.   
  
Anna and Josh wait together in the cell for Blake's return. They sit in silence, listening to the sounds of Caroline screaming in pain. Suddenly, a crash comes from the direction Blake is.   
  
"What the hell was that?!" Eddie suddenly yells.   
  
Josh jumps to his feet, darting out into the basement and whisper-yelling for Blake to hurry up and get back to the cell.   
  
"Hide the bombs!" Josh whispers to Anna.   
  
Anna quickly gathers their molotov cocktails, hiding them in a small corner in the wall that cannot be seen from anywhere other than where she is sitting. She places the lighter next to them and scurries back to her place beside Josh.   
  
Suddenly, they hear the door to the basement open. Blake still hasn't returned.   
  
"We might have to do this earlier than intended," Josh whispers.   
  
"We need a signal." Anna suggests.   
  
"I'll tap your back twice, if you agree than you can tap my chest three times." Josh says in a whisper.   
  
Anna nods in agreement. 

The pair hear a gunshot and a loud thump. Anna flinches and buries herself deeper into Josh's arms. The next thing they know, Eddie storms into the room. He looks pissed.   
  
He is naked, aside from the pair of tight white underwear he has on. Blake had clearly interrupted something and Eddie was not happy at all. Blake is pushed onto the floor in front of us. His thigh is immensely bleeding.   
  
"Do you know what time it is?!" he screams at Blake.   
  
"It's four in the fucking morning! How dare you interrupt me making love to my wife!" he continues.   
  
"Making love? Huh, yeah right! You were practically beating her to death!" Blake yells back in pain.  
  
Eddie's face turns redder than it already is as he pulls a knife on Blake, dropping the gun to the ground beside him. He approaches Blake, smiling as he grabs his hand that is clutching his thigh in pain. Blake screams in agony as Eddie slowly cuts off his index finger.   
  
Anna cries harder into Josh's shirt.   
  
"Do you speak to your mother with that mouth?!" Eddie yells, "Come on, boy! Let me hear those smartass remarks now! Do need help with that arrogant smile of yours? I can do that!"  
  
Josh and Anna watch in horror as Eddie straddles Blake, bringing the knife out to his face. Blake screams even louder as Eddie successfully carves a Chelsea smile into his face. 

"Do you know why I do this? I enjoy hearing you struggle and scream. My father was a killer, and guess what, even at the age of 12 I was carving into young teenage girls with a smile on my face." Eddie smiles.   
  
"You're a monster!" Blake screams, the blood bubbling from his mouth.   
  
"I helped my father kill my mother! And then, I killed him too!" he laughs.  
  
He turns to Blakes mutilated finger, slowly cutting off his thumb, ring finger and pinkie.   
  
"Now the world will know just how disrespectful you are!" Eddie laughs holding up Blake's hand.   
  
The only finger he had left was his middle finger.  
  
Blood is pooling everywhere around his body.   
   
Eddie drops his hand, only to rip open Blake's shirt, He begins to carve the word  _"DELINQUENT"_  into his chest.  
  
  
Josh taps Anna's back twice, she responds with three taps  to his chest. The pair break apart, Eddie is too consumed with his work and takes no notice. Anna dives for his gun, Josh for the bombs. Eddie finally takes notice as to what is going on and quickly stands to face Josh, ready to stab him.   
  
A shot goes off. Anna is crying as she stares at Blake. Dead and lifeless on the floor, completely mutilated, with a fresh bullet wound in his skull.   
  
Eddie turns to face Anna. His eyes are wide as he notices his gun in her hands.   
  
"Take one step and I'll shoot!" Anna screams.   
  
Eddie raises the knife in surrender, before quickly throwing the knife into Anna's arm. She drops the gun and screams in pain.   
  
"There's no where to run where I won't find you! There isn't a trace of humanity around for miles! You're trapped in the middle of nowhere! You're mine!" Eddie yells approaching the screaming girl.  
  
Josh frantically lights a molotov cocktail, making a bee-line towards Anna. He throws the cocktail at Eddie, ducking for cover with Anna in his arms as the molotov cocktail ignites in flames. Eddie screams in pain at both the glass piercing his skin and the fire.   
  
Josh quickly leans down, grabbing the gun. Josh supports Anna down the basement hallway and up the stairs.   
  
"He's going to recover soon! I need you to run, do you think you can do that!" Josh says quickly.   
  
Anna nods.  
  
Josh hands her a molotov cocktail and counts down.   
  
"Three." he whispers.   
  
"Two."   
  
Eddie's screams are dying down.  
  
"One."  
  
Josh swings open the door.   
  
"It's now or never." he says in determination.


	11. Chaos

"Run." Josh whispers as the door swings open.   
  
The pair are blinded by a bright light, something either of them has not seen in quite some time. In the background, they can hear Eddie muttering several incoherent curse words.

Josh cautiously makes his way through the door frame, Anna follows quickly behind him. He keeps a look out for Caroline, as well as anyone else in the house.

"It's clear." Josh whispers, "Come on."   
  
He urges Anna to follow him as he makes his way to the front door. Just before they reach the front door, a gun shot is fired. Anna flinches as she turns her head to look at the wall directly beside her. There is a newly made hole in the wall. Anna's eyes flicker across the room to meet a furious blonde.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she yells pointing the gun at Anna.   
  
Meanwhile, Josh works to open the front door, swinging it open, allowing the cool night air to seep into the old house. Another shot is fired, this time it is directly beside Josh's head. Josh glances at Caroline for a moment, before grabbing Anna's hand and sprinting out the front door.   
  
"Get back here damnit!" Caroline yells in frustration.   
  
The truth is, after the beating that Eddie gave her, she was weak and tired. All they have to do is avoid Eddie now.  
  
"Into the forest!" Josh whisper-yells at Anna.

Anna is taking the lead now. Surprisingly, she didn't feel the stab wound at all. That was just the adrenaline, she was sure of it. The two run for a few more minutes before stopping behind a few bushes to take a breath. Anna grits her teeth together at the sudden sharp pain coming from her arm.   
  
"Does it hurt?" Josh gasps for air with a concerned look on his face.   
  
Anna nods in pain while tightly grasping her arm.   
  
"We have two options here. I have to warn you though, neither are completely painless."   
  
"I'll do anything." Anna pouts.   
  
"Still got that lighter?"   
  
"It's in my pocket...why?"   
  
"Option one. We have to stop the bleeding somehow. Burning the skin around the wound will stop the bleeding.." Josh sighs.   
  
"And option two?" Anna asks hopefully.   
  
"We take the rag from one of these molotov cocktails and secure it firmly around your arm to stop the bleeding."   
  
Anna bites her lip for a moment, deep in thought. Seconds later, she hands the lighter to Josh.   
  
"Do it." she urges.

"Look we can tightly bound a rag around the wound an-"   
  
"We aren't wasting the only weapon we have to defend ourselves against Eddie. Do it before I bleed out." Anna cuts Josh off.   
  
"We have a gun, and my pocket knife." Josh offers.  
  
Anna lets go of her arm, painfully turning so that her arm is now facing Josh.   
  
"This will be faster, Josh. It won't kill me-"   
  
"Anna...you'll be in searing pain."   
  
"I can take it." Anna says confidently, "Now do it."

Josh sighs and gently grabs Anna's arm.  
  
Josh takes a cloth from one of the Molotov cocktails, gently placing it in Anna's mouth.   
  
"Bite down....this will hurt."   
  
Josh carefully pours alcohol on the stab wound as Anna bites down on the rag.   
  
"Okay....now for the hard part.." Josh hesitates.  
  
Josh takes a deep breath as he nods and a flame ignites from the lighter. Anna flinches as her arm begins to warm up. The warmth is comforting, until the flame makes contact with her skin. Anna's eyes widen and all she can hear is her sizzling flesh. She grabs onto Josh's free hand, holding onto it for dear life. She represses her screams of pain by biting down on the rag soaking in alcohol.

After a few seconds, the flame is gone but that searing pain remains.   
  
Anna drops to her knees, gripping her arm in pain.   
  
"We have to keep going." Josh sighs placing the rag back in the bottle of alcohol.   
  
Anna nods. Still gripping her arm, she makes her way back up to her feet.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
"It sure took you two long enough." Brianna sighs opening her front door.

Katy rolls her eyes, "Ready to go."   
  
Brianna nods, locking the front door behind her.   
  
The three set off in an uncomfortable car ride.   
  
"Keep going straight." Brianna orders Matt, "There! Stop!"   
  
Matt pulls in to an old driveway.   
  
Brianna is the first to enter the house. Horror-filled memories cloud her thoughts. She immediately searches the top floor for anything that could lead her to Josh. When the other two finally arrive in the house, they are confused.   
  
"What exactly are we looking for?" Katy asks.   
  
"An address, a calendar, a phone number...anything that we can use to help find Josh."  
  
The three find nothing on the top floor. Brianna is hesitant at first to go downstairs. She takes a deep breath before opening the basement door and making her way down the staircase. Katy and Matt are following closely behind her.   
  
  
"We need to keep moving!" Josh whispers as the pair blindly make their way through the dark forest.   
  
"There's no where to go, Josh!" Anna whispers back in terror, "Blake is dead! Eddie completely mutilated his body! What will he do to us when he catches us?!"   
  
"Look, I realize the amount of pressure on us right now, but the best thing that we can do is to keep moving forward and staying calm. It'll be daylight in a few hours, I'm sure we can find someplace to hide by then."   
  
"We've been out here already for almost an hour! We're going to die." Anna sobs.   
  
Josh spins to face Anna.  
Placing a gentle hand on her cheek and looking her dead in the eyes he says, "We can get through this. We  _will_  get through this. We need to keep going."   
  
Anna sighs a nods her head. Josh takes her hand in his, and the pair continue running.   
  
  
  
"Any reason why we couldn't have done this in the daylight?" Katy sighs swatting away at a spider web near her head.   
  
"I don't want anyone to know that we're here." Brianna explains turning on a nearby light.

The chairs Josh and Brianna were bound to are gone.   
  
"There's nothing here Bri...we should get going." Katy whines.   
  
"You and Matt can wait in the car...I'm almost done down here anyways." Brianna sighs.   
  
"Are you sure?" Matt asks.   
  
"Yeah." she smiles softly at the pair.

"Well alright then, you have your phone if you need us." Katy smiles before heading up the old staircase.   
  
Brianna nods as Matt follows Katy. She frantically searches through every inch of the room. Finally, she heads down the long hallway that Josh and her had walked through weeks ago. She passes by the old painting, until she finally enters the room where she was nearly raped. She hesitantly walks by the bed. The sheets are still messy, even ripped in some places. Brianna searches through a nightstand to find a cell phone. It isn't hers, or Josh's. She unlocks the phone screen, finding out that the phone belongs to a woman named Caroline. She shoves the phone down her bra. This was something that she wants to keep from her friends, for now at least. She makes her way back down the hallway, passing by the painting again. Suddenly, it hits her. She reaches behind the painting, to find a piece of paper.   
  
 _"Alexander._

 _They have been transferred to 74 Sky Lane. Inform your father of the new whereabouts, and have him contact me for the exchange. My number is 374-983-6384. If Caroline answers, do not tell her anything. She does not know about the exchange, all she knows is that I have a boy and a girl, and that they are going to be killed. If you arrive and the house is empty, a new location will be listed in the same place._  
  
 _-Eddie"  
  
  
_ This is it. Brianna smiles as she takes a picture of the note with her phone and sends it to Katy. She presses send and shoves the note into her pocket for safe keeping. She is making her way up the stairs when her phone suddenly rings. She answers the call.   
  
"Brianna?"  
  
"Who is this?"  
  
"Josh. I got your number off of the internet, I'm using a girl's phone who was held hostage with me. I need you to call the police, then call me back through this number. The police will be able to track it."   
  
"Help is on the way. Hang in there, Josh. I'm coming for you."   
  
"No! Eddie will kill you too!" Josh whispers.   
  
"Okay, fine. Look, I'm going to do what you asked and call the police. They will come rescue you."   
  
The line goes dead.

Brianna rushes out of the basement, to be stopped by none other than Alex.   
  
"Alex, what are you doing here?" Brianna asks in shock.   
  
"I could ask you the same thing." Alex says with a confused look on his face, "You must have accidently called me or something. I got worried when the line went dead. so I called your house and your mom told me you were probably here. She was worried about you, so I came to get you."   
  
"I'm okay." Brianna sighs in relief, "Aren't Katy and Matt out front?"   
  
"Katy and Matt? There was no one outside, Brianna."   
  
"That's impossible. They gave me a ride here."   
  
"No one was out front when I arrived. Come on, I will give you a lift home." he smiles.   
  
"Can you take me to the police station instead? I really need to tell them something."   
  
"The police? Why?" he asks.   
  
"It's a long story. I just really need to get there."   
  
"Alright. Let's go."   
  
Brianna and Alex walk out the back doors of the house. His hand is resting on the small of her back.   
  
"Why are we going through the back?" Brianna asks.   
  
"Because we are currently standing in a crime scene, Brianna. If we get caught, we're screwed." Alex explains.   
  
The pair reach Alex's car. Brianna gets in the passenger side while Alex gets in the driver side. He starts the car and begins to drive. Brianna's cell phone suddenly goes off. The screen lights up with a text from Katy.   
  
 _"Perfect! What's taking you so long in there? It's five in the morning and I want to go home."_    
  
Brianna peers over at Alex. He sends a smile her way. She realizes that they are on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Brianna takes a in a sharp breath and Alex sighs. Brianna begins to text Katy back.

 _"ALEX HAS ME SEND HELP. HE'S TAKING ME TO-"_ is all she manages to send before her phone is snatched from her hands.   
  
She begins to breath heavily as Alex says, "It's a shame it has to go down this way."   
  
His cold words send a shiver up Brianna's spine.   
  
"You work for him?" Brianna whispers.   
  
"Actually, he works for  _us_." Alex corrects me.  
  
"So your feelings for me have been a lie all along?"   
  
"Don't get me wrong. You're very attractive. It's too bad they want you."   
  
"You're a monster! Why didn't you just kidnap me the moment I was asleep at your apartment?"   
  
"I was having too much fun. Besides, you had no idea I was working for Eddie. It's too bad you were so prude, I bet you're a freak in the sheets."   
  
Brianna stays silent. Every so often she peers to her right, contemplating jumping out of the car.   
  
"Sadly, my mission was to gain your trust, deliver you unharmed. Where's the fun in that?"   
  
"You used me!" Brianna screams, hitting Alex across the face.   
  
"You bitch!" Alex screams as the car swerves.   
  
He presses on the breaks and slaps Brianna clean across the face. Pulling out a knife, he traces the outline of her face.  
  
"If you ever, try that again, I will permanently ruin that lovely face of yours."

Brianna closes her eyes and wishes for death.   
  
"DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" Alex yells at her.   
  
Brianna gulps and mutters a quick, "Yes."   
  
"Good." Alex smirks, starting the car again, "I saw you eying the door a few minutes ago. The locks are childproof, meaning the doors only open from the outside."   
  
"Why are you doing this?" Brianna asks in desperation.   
  
"Family business, kid." he states.   
  
"So your dad murders girls for a living?"   
  
"It's complicated."   
  
"We have time."   
  
"Listen up bitch, I don't have to explain myself to you." Alex snarls.   
  
Brianna keeps quiet for a moment longer.   
  
"How does someone as sweet and polite as you, turn out to be a psychopath?"   
  
"We all have our secrets."   
  
"Do tell."

"I told you to shut up!"   
  
"You would have killed me already if you could. Whoever gave you these orders obviously told you to deliver me alive. I will run my mouth as much as I want. After all, you're basically sentencing me to death."   
  
"If you don't shut that trap of yours, you will be sorry." Alex threatens.   
  
"If you lay a finger on me, your boss won't be too happy with you." Brianna taunts him.   
  
Alex's grip tightens on the steering wheel. His knuckles turn white.   
  
"Look, it isn't too late to turn your life around, Alex. You can flee the country, start a family. You don't have to be what your father wants you to be."   
  
"You said you're a virgin?" he cuts Brianna off, "I wonder how my father will feel if I deliver you as a new woman."   
  
"Alex please." Brianna pleads, "You aren't like this. This-this isn't you!"   
  
"You need to stop assuming that I don't want you dead." he says coldly.   
  
"You don't want me dead. You would have killed me already. I bet the last thing you want to be doing right now is listening to me yap on and on."   
  
Alex takes a deep breath and closes his eyes to calm himself down.   
  
"This is the last time that I'm going to say this Brianna. I am warning you now, if I hear another sound I will pull this car over and have my way with you. You can struggle and cry out for help all you want, we are in the middle of nowhere."  
  
Brianna shuts her mouth, desperately thinking of ways she can escape.   
  
  


  
  
"The cops should have been here by now." Anna sobs.   
  
"Just keep going. We will be safe soon." Josh promises.   
  
They duck behind a bush at the sound of a sudden twig snapping somewhere off in the distance.

"He's nearby." Josh whispers.   
  
"If he catches us, I want you to take the gun, and shoot me." Anna says forcing the gun into Josh's hands.   
  
"He isn't going to catch us!" Josh insists.   
  
"He knows I'm wounded. I'm only slowing you down."   
  
"You're doing great, Anna. Just keep moving, stay out of sight and close to me. We are going to make it out of this."   
  
The pair stay close to the ground as they move forward.   
  
"Do you see that?" Josh smiles.   
  
"What is it?"   
  
"Over the treeline!" Josh whisper yells.   
  
"Oh my God..." Anna sighs in relief, "We're going to be okay."   
  


 

Brianna silently takes in her settings. If she escapes, she will need to know where to run for help. Finally, the car comes to a stop in front of an old house. Alex gets out of the car. He walks around to Brianna's side and forcefully grabs her arm, basically dragging her to the front door.

"Please." Brianna begs one last time with tears in her eyes.   
  
Alex ignores her, calling out for Eddie.   
  
The man Brianna had hoped to never catch a glimpse of again ever in her life approaches them.   
  
"Alexander, good work. Hai parlato a tuo padre? È la trattativa ancora in posizione?"   
  
"Yes." Alex nods.   
  
Brianna listens carefully. It's a good thing that no one knows she is fluent in Italian. Eddie had asked Alex if he had talked to his father and if the deal was still in place.  
  
"Brianna. So nice to see you again!" Eddie smiles looking Brianna dead in the eyes.

Brianna stayed quiet, trying to avoid eye contact at all costs.   
  
"You wouldn't shut up on the way over here. Why don't you talk to Eddie the way you were talking to me." Alex glares at Brianna.   
  
Alex hands Eddie Brianna's phone.   
  
"I overheard her on the phone. The boy, Josh...he called her somehow. Where are the targets?" Alex asks Eddie.   
  
"Now that I have her phone, I know just how to get Josh back here." Eddie smirks accessing Brianna's phone.   
  
He puts it on speaker.   
  
The line rings for a second before Josh's voice rings through the speakers.   
  
"Brianna?! What's happening?? Did you call the police?"   
  
The sound of shuffling feet can be heard.   
  
"I'm afraid not Josh." Eddie says.   
  
The sounds of movement on the other line come to an immediate stop.   
  
"How did you get this number?" Josh demands.   
  
"Wasn't hard, actually. Your dear friend Brianna basically delivered it to me herself. Go on Brianna, say hi to your boyfriend."   
  
Eddie forcefully puts the phone up to Brianna's ear.   
  
"KEEP RUNNING JOSH!" Brianna says quickly.   
  
Eddie rips the phone from her ear before saying, "Listen carefully Josh, you have exactly fifteen minutes to get back to the house before pretty little Brianna, loses an eye. The clock starts now."   
  
Without another word, Eddie hangs up the phone and orders Alex to drag Brianna inside. 


	12. Race Against Time

Josh and Anna look at each other in sadness.

"He has Brianna?" Anna asks quietly.   
  
Josh can't find the words to speak. They are so close to freedom. He could keep going, leave this place behind, these sick people, and never look back. He could have a chance at a normal life again, one without the madness and pain. But he could not-he would not let Brianna die because he wanted a chance of freedom. He can't just leave Brianna behind. If he does, a part of him would always be missing. He knows what Eddie is capable of. Will he choose to leave Brianna behind to endure all of the pain and suffering that Eddie will inflict? He can always call the police before he made it back to Brianna sure, but would Eddie be true to his word? Would he mutilate Brianna's beautiful porcelain face without another thought at the sight of police cars? Of course he would. The damage he will do to Brianna will be without a doubt, permanent.   
  
"Keep going." Josh breathes to Anna.   
  
"But what about-"   
  
"Keep going. Don't look back. Make it to the house. Call the police. Do whatever you can, but most importantly, get somewhere safe." Josh directs her.   
  
"He's going to kill you!" Anna protests.   
  
"He won't. Not yet, at least." he tries to reassure her.   
  
Josh sighs, hearing the mental ticking of the invisible clock he has established in his mind. He only has fifteen minutes to find his way back to Brianna. He has to get going, right now. Josh peers from Anna to the chimney that is just visible from above the treeline.   
  
"I can't just leave you!" Anna pleads.   
  
"I need to go alone. You need to get somewhere safe. If I don't do this, Eddie is going to kill Brianna. I would do the same thing for you if you were threatened." Josh pleads unaware of half of the things that are coming out of his mouth.   
  
Anna considers Josh's words before taking in a deep breath and nodding at him.   
  
"Take this." Josh says handing Anna the Molotov cocktails.   
  
"Won't you need them? At least take the gun!" she begs staring into his deep blue eyes.   
  
"He'll kill Brianna if he sees that I am armed. The best thing for me to do right now is everything he asks of me."   
  
"This just doesn't feel right-" she argues.   
  
"It's okay." he tries to reassure her, gently grabbing her shoulders.   
  
"Thank you, for everything." she whispers.

Anna glances at the attractive man standing in front of her. This will be the last time she sees him. She takes in every single feature. His sapphire blue eyes, his beautiful smile, his pale skin, his perfect lips. She leans in quickly, gently placing her lips on his. Josh kisses her back softly before the couple part. A silent tear rolls down Anna's cheek.   
  
"Goodbye Josh." she whispers.   
  
Josh swallows hard, trying to ease the lump in his throat. Tears are threatening to fall from his eyes at any moment now.   
  
"Good luck, Anna." he whispers with a small smile.   
  
He takes one more look at her before turning around and sprinting towards Brianna.   
  


 

Brianna's heart pounds in her chest. She hopes that Josh keeps running. He has already sacrificed so much for her to be free. Brianna can handle herself. If she dies in the process, so be it. She tugs at the knots tied around her wrists. She was once again, bound to a chair. Only this time, Eddie made a point to also tie her ankles to the chair legs. She looks around at the new atmosphere. She is sitting directly in front of the front door. Her mouth is covered with duct tape. She opens her mouth as much as the tape will allow, using her own saliva to loosen the tape. If she needs to scream, she can effectively just remove the tape and go for it. Eddie may be sick, but he's a dumbass. Everyone knows that duct tape can easily be removed with saliva. If he was smart, he would stuff a cloth in her mouth and cover it with duct tape. Boy is she glad Eddie isn't that smart.

"How're you holding out, princess?" Eddie smirks.   
  
Brianna avoids eye contact.   
  
"Your boyfriend has about eight minutes to get here before you lose one of your pretty blue eyes." he taunts.   
  
 _Keep running Josh_. She mentally screams.  
  
Josh is running alright, just not in the direction that Brianna is hoping. He blindly sprints through the night. The only thought on Josh's mind is Brianna. The silent clock keeps ticking, driving Josh mad. He needs to make it back in time. Failure isn't an option right now. Brianna's life relies on him right now. A minute later, Josh is on the ground loudly cursing at his stupidity.   
  
"Damn branch." he mutters under his breath.   
  
He hops back onto his feet and continues his sprint. His arms are heavy and his legs and giving out on him. He hasn't eaten in days and it is starting to effect him. Still his mind screams at him to keep running.   
  
On the other side of the forest, Anna is running too. She sprints towards the direction of the house, her freedom, clutching her arm in pain. The injured arm is carrying the Molotov cocktails, the gun is buried deep in Josh's jacket pocket and adrenaline is flowing through Anna's veins.

She takes a breath of relief as she knocks on the door. She looks behind her at the forest and frantically knocks louder. Finally, the door swings open.   
  
"What?" a man appears in the doorway.   
  
"I need your phone!" she pleads.   
  
"If you think I'm bout' ta let ya in my house with a bomb, yer sadly mistaken, missy." the old drunk says.   
  
"Please sir! I'll surrender my weapons. Just let me explain myself."   
  
"Well go on then, I don't have all night!"   
  
"A man kidnapped me and I escaped. My friend is still trapped. The man who kidnapped us is sick. He carved up a poor boy's face and cut off his fingers. He didn't think twice about it!" she begs.   
  
"Hand over the weapons." he sighs.   
  
"Thank you." she huffs handing him the molotov cocktails and stepping through the doorway. The man shuts the door behind her.   
  
  
  
Brianna keeps her eyes locked on Eddie. FInally, he removes the duct tape.   
  
"You're sick." she glares at him.   
  
Suddenly, Alex comes into view.   
  
"My father is on the phone for you. He says to take the call in private."   
  
Eddie nods, taking the phone from Alex. Eddie leaves the room, leaving the pair completely alone.   
  
"Why?" Brianna whispers to him.   
  
Alex ignores her and peers out the window at Eddie.   
  
"By doing this you're giving away another human being's life. You haven't seen what this man has done. I don't know why he's doing this, and I personally could care less. Eddie's sick, but you aren't. Alex, there's still time. You can fix all of this. You can get the police-"   
  
"Don't you get it?!" he says harshly.

He grabs her shoulders roughly, looking directly into her eyes.   
  
"This? This is my choice! You think I like doing this? I don't! I'm just doing what is necessary. I have to do this. I don't care who or what gets hurt in the process."   
  
Brianna's breath gets caught in her throat.   
  
"You mean nothing to me." he says, venom dripping from every single word.   
  
"Take out your gun...and shoot me." Brianna whispers in a shaky voice.   
  
Alex squints his eyes in confusion. 

"Do. It.!" she says stressing each word.   
  
"No."   
  
"Kill me! Just like you said you would in the car! For God sakes, rape me! I don't care anymore. As long as I end up dead in the next few minutes, I will do anything."   
  
Brianna realizes how desperate she sounds but she doesn't care. All she cares about is Josh's life. It's hanging in the balance with every passing second. If she can convince Alex to kill her, then tell Josh, he would go on to live a happy life. He won't be happy with her, not like this.   
  
"I said no. Now shut up before I knock you out."   
  
"Don't you realize that I don't care anymore? DO IT!" she screams, "KILL ME! FUCKING SHOOT ME IN THE HEAD RIGHT NOW! I DON'T WANT TO SPEND ANOTHER SECOND HERE STARING AT YOUR PATHETIC FACE!"   
  
"You little bitch!" he screams slapping her across the face, "You sure as hell would like that, wouldn't you? You WANT to die. I'm going to make sure Eddie keeps you alive for as long as possible, in the worst possible condition. I will see to it that you are beaten mentally and physically, bleeding out, begging for your life. You will die in excruciating pain. You will live to regret those words. You are a pathetic little slut! You think anyone can love you?" he laughs.   
  
Brianna makes no attempt to hold herself back.   
  
"Oh really?" she laughs, "You're going to be daddy's good little soldier for the rest of your life? Daddy's little bitch? To think I almost slept with you. Bet you don't even have any balls down there!"   
  
"You need to shut your dirty little mouth before I-"   
  
"Before you what? Because I sure as hell-"   
  
"BEFORE I SHOOT JOSH." he yells at her, "I WILL FUCKING SHOOT HIM THE MINUTE HE WALKS THROUGH THAT DOOR."  
  
Brianna shuts her mouth.   
  
"Oh? No response to that? Did I hit a nerve?" he taunts her, "I know how you feel about him. I know you were only using me to get over him. I know what you'll do to protect him. I've got news for you, sweetie. He doesn't give a shit about you. He's doing all of this to cover his own ass! He's already screwing someone else anyways."   
  
"You're lying."   
  
"You can think whatever you want. It doesn't change the fact that he is involved with someone else." 

"When I get out of here. I'm going to have your ass thrown in jail!"  
  
Alex laughs.

"Haven't you figured it out yet little girl? Eddie's going to make a trade. You're the key player."   
  
"What kind of trade?"   
  
"It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you that. You'll be unable to identify us after the trade happens. Why else do you think Eddie was so insistant you have sex with someone?"   
  
Brianna is about to retort when Eddie storms back into the room.   
  
"Stubborn man your father is." Eddie sighs, "Listen kid, I have to run a few errands. If the boy isn't here in the next five minutes, you know what to do."   
  
"Yes sir." 

"If the boy makes it in time, lock them up and call me. I will give you further instructions."   
  
Alex nods. Eddie takes one last final glance at the struggling girl constrained to a chair by ropes before heading through the door. The pair sit in silence for a long moment listening to Eddie's car engine fade away.   
  
"Well, I've had just enough of you." Alex says reaching into his jean pocket and pulling out a pocket knife. 

Brianna closes her eyes and waits for darkness to consume her, but it never does. Instead, she is cut free of her restraints.   
  
"Stand up." Alex orders.   
  
She opens her eyes to come face to face with a gun.   
  
"Turn around."   
  
"No."   
  
"Damn it Brianna, turn around or I will shoot you!"   
  
"If you want to shoot me, you're going to have to look me in the eyes while you do it."   
  
Alex sighs, shoving the gun into the holster. He approaches Brianna and effortlessly swings her over his shoulder. Brianna screams, pounding her fists into his back with all of her might. She swings her legs, trying to kick him in the face. Dispite her best efforts, Alex is able to carry her down to the basement. Brianna screams as Alex forcefully throws her down next to a dead body. She carefully studies the boy. His face is carved into a sick smile, half of his fingers are missing, and the word delinquent is carved into his chest. She takes one last glance at the bulletwound piercing the boy's forehead before shuffling away in horror.   
  
"Stand up." Alex orders her once again.   
  
This time Brianna jumps to her feet.   
  
"Take off your clothes."   
  
"What?" Brianna whispers in horror.   
  
"You heard me."   
  
Brianna crosses her arms in protest.   
  
"Brianna if you don't start stripping so help me God I'll-"   
  
"Kill me?" she raises an eyebrow.   
  
"Do not test me Brianna. I was trained in the art of torture. Ever heard of a water burn? It's supposed to simulate drowning. Do you like drowning Brianna? I have no problem with giving you a demonstration."   
  
Brianna sighs, taking a shaky hand to her belt. 

"Good girl." he smirks.    
  
  


 

 

Josh is out of breath as he reaches the old house. He can't help but pray that he isn't too late. He takes a deep breath before slowly opening the door. Nobody is waiting for him...which is weird. Josh takes a careful step into the house only to be met with a long empty hallway. The house is quiet except for the old floorboards creeking every now and then.   
  


 

"Alex, please!" Brianna cries out in desperation from the other side of the house.   
  
"I have my orders, Brianna. This is all necessary. The less you struggle, the easier this will all be."   
  
  


Josh does his best to tiptoe through the house. Finally, he hears a scream. Followed by soft sobbing.   
  
"Damn it Brianna cooperate!" Alex screams slamming his fist into the floor beside her head.   
  
Josh runs towards the room he, Anna, and Blake were locked in. Brianna screams get more frantic and louder.  
  
"NO STOP!" She screams over and over again.   
  
Josh pushes the door open to reveal Alex straddling Brianna. As if a buzzer went off as Josh opened the door, Alex and Brianna turn their heads in unison.   
  
"JOSH NO!" Brianna screams with wide eyes,   
  
"GET OFF OF HER!" Josh screams at a half naked Alex.   
  
Surprisingly, Alex cooperates. That is of course, until he pulls out a gun and points it at Brianna,

"Don't move." he warns.   
  
Brianna shivers in fright.   
  
"Well Romeo, since you got here before your time was up, you can be the one to finish the deed." Alex smirks with a hint of annoyance to his voice.   
  
"Just let her go." Josh replies ignoring the statement.   
  
"Look, you and I both know that this has to be done. Either you grow a pair and finish her off, or I will do it for you."   
  
"Grow a pair? You want me to rape a girl for God sakes! Why don't you grow a pair and leave her the hell alone! Brianna stand up and get dressed. He isn't going to hurt you, he needs you."  
  
"Don't you dare. Loverboy here will be dead the second you move a muscle." Alex warns her.   
  
"Brianna, do it. Let him kill me and escape."   
  
Brianna nods her head no. She can't lose Josh. Her every action, her every thought since leaving that God awful place was finding a way to rescue Josh. To run away at last. 

  
"You stupid son of a bitch!" Alex laughs, "This has to get done one way or another."   
  
"Why? What does raping her have to do with anything?"  
  
"It has to do with everything. That's what you people don't understand!" Alex yells in frustration.   
  
"Enlighten me, then." Josh counters,   
  
"There's a reason you were chosen. Ramsay." 

"And that would be..?"   
  
"You have influence. Maybe not as much as Eddie would have hoped but you have enough influence on the media to catch their attention. Brianna here was pure luck."   
  
"If your initial intention was to kidnap me, why haven't you let Brianna go, or at least killed her by now?"   
  
"She's part of the deal too."   
  
"But you said she was pure luck?"   
  
"Well, we needed someone famous-such as yourself-along with a girl."   
  
"For what?!" Josh asks in frustration.   
  
"I can't give you details-not yet at least. What I can tell you is that it'll change everything." 

"How is raping a girl relevant to your master plan?"

"Don't call it that. You make it sound like a bad thing. Hitler had a master plan and is now one of the most hated people in history. Call it a revolution. We need a women for all of this to begin."   
  
"You're avoiding the question." Josh says in annoyance.   
  
"Think about it. You and I-we came from our mothers. They've fed us, gave us a place to sleep at night, and loved us with all of their hearts. What's a better way to start a revolution then with a-"  
  
"Mother..." Brianna suddenly gulps.


	13. False Hope

"Precisely." Alex sighs.   
  
"Alex....I-I'm too young...I can't be a mothe-" Brianna pleads sitting up on her elbows.   
  
"You sick bastard. That's your big plan? Get Brianna pregnant, kill me, and start a revolution?" Josh screams at Alex in disguist.   
  
"Look there's a good reason behind it all-"   
  
"I don't want to have a baby only to give it away!"   
  
"You don't have a choice." Alex states bluntly, "But, because I'm not heartless, I'll give you two some bonding time. A night to be exact. I can understand why you'd want to do this in private."   
  
"Yeah because having sex in an old dingy basement is so romantic." Brianna mumbles faintly under her breath.   
  
Alex motions for Josh to move beside Brianna. Josh obeys.

  
"Don't even think about escaping. I don't care if you're the bloody queen of England, I will shoot you, and you will die. See you two in the morning. Good luck." Alex says before shutting the door and leaving the pair alone. 

"Are you okay?" Josh asks as Brianna falls into him.   
  
He places a comforting hand on her back as she sobs "I don't want to get pregnant, not this way!" over and over again.   
  
"It's alright..." Josh whispers softly, "We don't have to do anything."  
  
"They'll kill you-"  
  
"We can pretend. Besides, there is no guarantee that you'll even get pregnant. We can lie. Then...we'll have about a week to escape." 

 Brianna smiles softly, shifting so that their faces are only inches apart.  
  
"I missed you." she whispers, "The thought of you in pain, alone-it drove me crazy. The police gave up on looking for you..but I-I knew that you were still alive."  
  
"I missed you too." Josh smiles softly.   
  
He catches her eyes wonder down to his lips for a brief moment.   
  
"I never did get the chance to properly thank you...y'know...for not raping me back there." she smiles. 

Josh chuckles.   
  
"Well uh...you kind of already did." Josh replies sheepishly.  
  
"I did?" Brianna raises an eyebrow.   
  
"Yeah...you did." 

He smiles at the memory.   
  
"How did I thank you if-"   
  
Finally it hits her.   
  
"-Oh."   
  
Josh peers lovingly into her eyes.

"So then..you wouldn't mind if I thanked you again?"   
  
"Not at all.." Josh smiles.  
  
Brianna closes her eyes, leaning closer to Josh. She has been waiting for this moment ever since his lips left hers. Finally their lips meet. They move in rhythm for a moment before breaking away for air. 

"Josh..." she says softly, "Whatever this is.."  
  
Josh cuts her off with another kiss. Her body seems to respond to his kiss immediately. Her hands gravitate around his neck, and she is now straddling him. His arms position themselves gently on her waist. The kiss continues with an occasional lip bite here and there. As the kiss deepens, she finds her hands knotting in Josh's dark raven black hair.   
  


***

"I just need to use your phone!" Anna begs the old drunk, now unarmed and defenseless.  
  
"It's in the kitchen, first door to your right." the man grumbles.   
  
Anna carefully walks towards the door. Her arm still hurts like hell. She opens the door to reveal a coat closet. Her eyes widen in fear, realizing that knocking on this man's door was not a good idea at all. As she turns back to run, she is forcefully shoved back into the closet. Tears sting her eyes as she desperately screams for help.   
  
***  
  
Brianna finds her fingers at the hem of Josh's shirt, breaking the kiss only to pull it over his head. Once the article of clothing is disposed of, their lips meet again. Her hands rest on his chest and the kiss begins to heat up. Soon the pair are completely engulfed in each other, sharing open mouthed sloppy kisses. Brianna finds herself pouting as Josh's lips break away from her. The absence of his kisses are almost painful. She is about to say something when his lips suddenly find themselves at the base of her neck. Her mouth opens in pure ectasy. She moans his name as he plays around, sucking on her neck from time to time. Finally, she's had enough teasing. She forcefully lifts his face back onto hers, smashing their lips together. She finds her hands at his belt buckle, struggling to undo the belt. Josh feels Brianna's small hands struggling to undo his belt. Not breaking the kiss, Josh reaches down to gently pull her hands away from his belt. Phased by the sudden gesture, Brianna breaks the kiss.   
  
"What's wrong?" she pants.   
  
The disappointment in her voice is more than obvious.   
  
"We can't. Not now. Not here. It's what they want." 

"Oh." she pouts, breaking eye contact.  
  
"Listen. I want this, I do." Josh smiles placing a gentle finger under her chin, lifting her face up to look at him, "But-"   
  
His speech is interupted by the pounding of boots coming down a wooden staircase.

"Crap." Josh curses.   
  
"What?" Brianna looks at him confused.   
  
Josh gently lifts Brianna off of him, quickly standing up.   
  
"They're coming to check on us. I should've known."   
  
Brianna's eyes widen as Josh undoes his belt buckle. His pants drop to the ground and he completely steps out of them, throwing them across the room along with his shirt.   
  
"Lie down." Josh orders.   
  
Brianna raises an eyebrow at him. 

"It has to look believable." Josh explains.   
  
Brianna nods and lies down on the cold floor. Josh straddles her.   
  
"Follow my lead and make it look rough" he whispers.   
  
She nods. 

As the heavy footsteps get closer their lips smash together. Her hands quickly knot in his hair once again. Josh's hands find themsleves on either side of her head, gripping the floor. Her legs wrap around his torso tightly. The fabric of Josh's boxers is the only thing separating them as they begin to feel friction in their midsections. Brianna surprises herself, letting out and moan and slightly thrusting her hips forward onto him. The sudden gesture surprises Josh as well. He finds himself moaning into the sloppy kiss.  

"Well look at you two getting to work!" a sudden voice from behind the pair chuckles.   
  
Brianna fake gasps, pulling away from Josh. Josh jumps off of Brianna, allowing her to hide behind him. 

"Sorry to interupt the fun. I just got a call. We are expecting a very special guest soon. He will want to see the mother of his new revolution. If you don't behave, I will be more than happy to find a new pair to lead the revolution. There are plenty of fertile teenagers perfectly capable of completing the task." 

Josh and Brianna stay quiet. He has a protective stance in front of her small fragile body.  
  
"I hope I didn't kill the mood. Continue." he smirks shutting the door. 

Brianna clings onto Josh as she quivers with fear. Josh turns slowly around, gently grabbing her hands in a soothing motion. His thumb gently rubs her knuckles. Her watery blue eyes meet his.   
  
"I'm scared." she admits in a low whisper.

"We can get through this...it's alright." Josh reassures her. 

Her pulls her into a long comforting hug. When they break apart, Josh helps her to her feet. He then crosses to the other side of the room, picking up his pants and slowly handing them to Brianna.   
  
"Since they clearly aren't giving you back your clothes anytime soon, you can use my pants." he smiles.   
  
"What about you?" Brianna asks softly.   
  
"I still have my boxers. You need them more than I do."  
  
Brianna nods and greatfully takes the pants out of Josh's hands.She bends down and pulls each pant leg over her long slender legs. Josh chuckles at the sight of her.   
  
Brianna giggles too when she realizes how ridiculous she must look. Josh isn't chubby, but he sure as hell doesn't have skinny legs like Brianna. Brianna has to adjust the belt notch to fit her tiny waist. The pants are baggy on her, but fairly comfortable. 

"Comfortable?" Josh chuckles some more.   
  
"Extremely, thanks for asking." Brianna winks.   
  
Josh smiles. A part of him has the strong urge to just hold Brianna and his arms and kiss her again, but the other half knows that the timing isn't appropiate. Instead he smiles bashfully at her. At least she's happy. 

"Holy crap." Brianna suddenly smiles.   
  
"What is it?"   
  
"I completely forgot-Oh my god. I- I went back to the first house we were kidnapped in."   
  
Josh is confused by Brianna's response. Why would revisiting horrible memories make her happy? He decides to let her finish explaining.   
  
"Remember the painting by the doorway? The one you discreetly pointed out to me to help me plan my escape?" Brianna whispers taking a step towards Josh.   
  
Josh nods.   
  
"There was a note behind it! It has the address of this house! I texted it to Matt and Katy." she whispers quickly.  
  
Brianna almost jumps up and down in joy, but then she realizes that she's still probably being watched. Or at least...listened to. Privacy wasn't an option at the moment..for either of them.   
  
"So you're saying...there's hope for us?" Josh whispers closing the space between the pair.   
  
Brianna nods, a big smile plastered on her face.   
  
"That's amazing Bri!" Josh smiles.   
  
Brianna's smile falters a little. He's never called her Bri before. Josh realizes what he just called her. He begins to wonder if she has had a bad experience with the name before. The last thing he wants to do is hurt her.   
  
"I'm sorry I-" Josh begins to apologize.   
  
"What? No! No worries. I was just taken off guard. You've never called me that before. No need to apologize." Brianna giggles.   
  
Josh is confused.   
  
"I like it." she smiles reassuringly.   
  
"You do?" Josh asksin relief. 

"Yes!" she smiles.   
  
Josh stiffles a laugh. How could a girl, one whom he had never met before being kidnapped, make him so happy in the situation they are in?   
  
"Now what?" Josh asks hiding an obvious blush.   
  
"We wait. If the police don't find us soon, we fake it and stick with the original plan."   
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"Well alright then. We've got a long night ahead of us. What do you want to do?" Josh asks.   
  
"Oh I know! Charades!" she giggles.   
  
"Charades?"   
  
"Yep." Brianna smiles happily.   
  
***  
  
Anna shivers of the thought of all of the possible unspeakable things the old drunk could do to her. She's never been in this situation before. With Eddie, she had met a young attractive boy named Alex at a bar. That's all she can remember. She wasn't afraid or worried at all. She was happy. She thinks he roofied her drink, but at least she wasn't isolated and terrified. Sure it was terrifying when she woke up in some creepy stranger's house-but the wait is worse. The solitude-just waiting to be played with, alone with no one to hear your screams and cries for help. That is the truly terrifying part. Your mind has this thing it does where it automatically thinks of the worst possible thing that this stranger could do to you and it sticks. You're terrifed, afraid, confused, You think this is it, _I've met my end, I am going to die._ Most of the time is that true? No-but you wish it was. Because you see, the horrible, unspeakable acts of violence that the stranger lurking on the other side of the closet could inflict upon you will make you wish that you were dead. Just like Anna. And so she waits. She shivers. She silently cries. She hopes to be saved.   
  
False hope is the worst thing in the world. It is enough to drive someone completely and utterly insane.  
  
***  
  
"5 syllables! 2 words?" Josh laughs at Brianna's ridiculous gestures, "What are you doing now? Is that supposed to be singing? Now drums? Really Bri, air guitar?"   
  
"I can't believe you haven't gotten it yet!" Brianna giggles.   
  
"I give up."   
  
"It's Marianas Trench you idiot!" Brianna smiles, "I can't believe you can't even guess the name of your own damn band!"   
  
"Hey in my defense it's kind of hard to guess what this means!" Josh chuckles flailing his arms around like an idiot.   
  
"Shut up!" Brianna playfully slaps his arm. 

Their giggling stops as they hear heavy footsteps ascending towards them.  
  
"Shit!" Brianna breaths sitting next to Josh in a hurry.   
  
It's like something out of a horror movie as the footsteps slowly advance towards them.   
  
"Where are they?" an unfamiliar gravelly voice demands.  
  
Brianna's eyes widen as Josh gestures for her to lay down. Brianna quickly slips off Josh's oversized pants and throws them to the other corner of the room.   
  
"Your shirt!" Brianna whispers in a panic.   
  
Josh nods, removing his shirt and handing it to her. She quickly cuddles into Josh and covers their bodies with the shirt.   
  
"It's going to be okay." Josh reassures her.

He gestures her his hand. She greatfully takes it and their fingers intertwine  perfectly. Josh gives Brianna a reassuring squeeze as the heavy metal door swings open with a loud  _klang_. An unfamiliar face greets them. Brianna recognizes the resemblance immediately.

"Cozy I see?" the man smirks walking closer to the pair.   
  
Brianna instinctively cuddles closer to Josh. She increases her grip on his hand. Josh noticing this begins to soothinly rub his thumb over her knuckles.   
  
"How's the breeding going? Well I assume?"   
  
The pair refuse to answer.   
  
"Since you don't know me, I'll give you one more chance to answer that." the man warns, "I don't think I need to tell you about the terrible consequences if you disobey."   
  
Brianna bites her lip. It's obvious Josh refuses to respond. Fearing Josh's life more than her own, Brianna speaks up.  
  
"It went well." Brianna says blankly.   
  
"That's more like it! Good. You obviously know how to be obedient. After all, the last thing I need is an arrogant little brat leading my revolution."   
  
"What revolution?" Josh interrupts, earning a warning look from the man who was obviously in charge of this so called 'revolution'.  
  
"Watch it young man, arrogance will get you no where here. You must learn to respect us of a higher power than you, or the consequences will be fatal." the man warns Josh, taking a step closer to the pair.   
  
Brianna tugs Josh's shirt tighter to her body.   
  
"There's nothing to be ashamed of....what's your name again?" he coos softly at Brianna.   
  
The sudden gesture makes her want to crawl under a rock and die.   
  
"Brianna." she whispers.   
  
"Ladies don't mumble." he lectures.   
  
"Brianna." she says louder.   
  
"Much better." he smirks, "I've heard you've met my son as well? I have to be honest with you Brianna, I would much rather he be the father of my revolution, but I know you don't have feelings for him..not anymore anyways. Not like you do towards this man...Josh is it?"   
  
"What is the purpose of all of this?!" Josh snaps at the man, not liking the way he said Brianna's name.  
  
"The purpose" the man snaps, obviously angry at Josh's tone of voice,"Is none of your business."   
  
"Then why are you here? To take look at your new pets?" Josh counters.  
  
"Mr. Ramsay the tone of voice that you are using with me is extremely disrespectful."   
  
"You know what else is disrespectful?" Josh mocks, "Kidnapping an innocent girl with her entire life ahead of her and forcing her to procreate with some complete stranger!"   
  
"She's doing the world a honourable favour-"   
  
"Honourable favour?" he laughs, "She isn't just some slut you can use and then dispose of for your own personal preferences! She's a human being! She has as much a right to life as you do."   
  
"Josh stop." Brianna whispers.   
  
"It would be wise of you to listen to the lady." the man with sandy brown and piercing blue eyes warns.

"It would be wise of you to rethink this whole revolution thing. Maybe find someone willing?"  
  
"Maybe you should shut your mouth before I sew it closed."   
  
"You think I believe for one second that a guy like you can sew? Try it. You won't like the end result. Spoiler alert...it'll be worse for you."   
  
"Are you threatening me, boy?"    
  
"I like to think of it as a warning."   
  
"Josh please." Brianna helplessly begs.   
  
"Well it's obvious you don't value your own life, so maybe you value hers." he gestures to Brianna, "Stand up and walk over to me."   
  
His order registers immediately into Brianna's brain. She's shaking in freight, but she bravely removes Josh's shirt and begins to stand up.   
  
"No." Josh stops her by gently grabbing her arm.   
  
"Brianna." blue eyes says in a tone that insists he has lost his patience.   
  
Brianna smiles sadly at Josh, tugging her arm free from his grasp as a tear rolls down her cheek. She takes a step towards the man dressed as if he should be in a mansion bossing servants around, not kidnapping people for a revolution.   
  
"C'mere princess." he coos softly at Brianna.   
  
Brianna closes her eyes for a quick moment, takes a deep breath, and begins to take short steps towards the mysterious man. When she is about two feet away from the man, she stops.  She doesn't dare to look him in the eyes, instead she stares at the ground while she takes deep shallow breaths. The man takes a step closer to Brianna, reaching his hand out to touch her cheek. Slowly, he wipes her fallen tears away with his thumb.   
  
"Don't cry. You should be honoured. You will become the queen of my revolution. You will be treated like royalty, darling. It will be worth it, you'll see." he whispers so only she can hear.   
  
"Look at me." he orders her.   
  
Afraid to upset the man, Brianna obeys. Her eyes meet his blue eyes and she tries not to cry, not to tremble in fear. How is it possible for someone to look so well polished, handsome, but be incredibly ugly at the same time?   
  
"Now..you said you have already bred?"  
  
Brianna nods.   
  
"Good." the man smiles.   
  
In any other circumstance, Brianna would admire the man's features. But to her, here and now, his smile was the most revolting thing that she had ever laid eyes on. The sight of him repulsed her.  
  
"I assume you've got another holding room?" the male averts his attention from Brianna to Eddie, who was quietly standing by the entrance, waiting to be ordered around.  
  
"Yes. Of course we do."   
  
"Good. I want these two separated until we find out the results. No use in having them together, they have a better chance of escaping." the man smiles in a happy tone of voice.   
  
It is sadistic.  
  
"Of course Mr. Beaumont." Eddie says respectfully.  
  
Brianna's eyes widen in shock, and words of protest can be heard from Josh. When he begins to stand up, Eddie points a gun at him. Brianna screams, begging them not to hurt Josh. Her screams die down as the man gently grabs her arm and drags her out of the room. Josh's screams of protest are muffled as the heavy metal door slams shut.


	14. Not Again...

Brianna doesn't dare to say a word as the man with the piercing blue eyes drags her through the basement. Surprisingly, theres a distinct gentleness to his touch, he isn't hurting Brianna, just guiding her. Finally, Brianna gains the courage to speak.   
  
"Please don't hurt Josh, he's only trying to protect me." she begs.   
  
"I know." the man simply responds.   
  
After a few seconds of torturous silence, the man elaborates.   
  
"Amazing, isn't it? How you can put two people together who can't stand each other, only to have them fall in love in the end. I know all about the lies you told Eddie. He was stupid enough to believe them, but I most certainly am not. I know that you don't have a history with Josh. I know the only reason you were at that concert that night was for your friend." he rambles on.   
  
Brianna pays close attention, afraid of the handsome man, but also intrigued by his intelligence.   
  
"I appreciate your cooperation. I have to admit, after all of the stories that I have heard about you, I'm quite surprised." he peers over at Brianna, "Not that it's a bad thing."   
  
He's smiling again. Brianna doesn't realize her body begin to tremble again.   
  
The man stops dead in his tracks.   
  
"You're afraid." he states in a soothing tone,  "You have nothing to be afraid of, I promise you that."   
  
Brianna doesn't believe the man, but forces a nod.   
  
"Don't cry." he begs her, "No harm will come to you."  
  
Maybe not her, but it will to Josh.   
  
"Please don't separate us." she finally pleads.   
  
"That, I'm afraid, is necessary." he sighs.   
  
"I need him." she says grasping at straws, "I need him to keep me calm. If-If I don't have him around to keep me calm, I can risk hurting the baby."   
  
The man contemplates her reasons for awhile. There's an unsure look on his face.   
  
"I can have Alex keep you company." he offers.   
  
"No!" she says too quickly.  
  
She realizes she shouldn't have responded so quickly..with so much haste.   
  
"No?" he says in an unbelivable tone.   
  
"I mean-he...he..." Brianna gulps choosing her next choice of words carefully, "I just...he tricked me and kidnapped me...then he almost raped me. I don't think I can be alone in a room with him.."  
  
"You don't need to continue. Look, I'm going to apologize to you on the behalf my son's behaviour. That was never the plan."   
  
"What was the plan? I-I mean if you don't mind me asking.." Brianna asks.   
  
"I like you." the man smiles at her, "The only orders I gave my son were to get you back here. I never gave him the permission to handle you the way that he did. It was supposed to be you all along, you know. Hurting you was never my intention."   
  
If the situation was completely different and Brianna wasn't being held against her own will, she could've grown to like this man. He seems humble and genuine. That doesn't change the fact that Brianna hated him for doing this to her.   
  
"Now, that being said, you won't be held in a dingy old celler again so don't worry. This-" he opens a door, "Is your new room."   
  
Brianna is astonished. She stares at the room in shock. It's actually...nice. In the middle of the room was a king sized bed that looked like it were fit for a princess. The walls were pianted a simple creamy colour to add elegance to the room. To her right stood a lovely book shelf packed with hundreds of books. She even had her own bathroom.  
  
"And since you look like you're freezing, there's a new wardobe for you in the closet. You can wear what ever you feel comfortable with."   
  
Brianna opened her mouth to say something, then closed it immediately. She was going to ask if this were a joke. When she opens the closet she expects someone to jump out and murder her or something, but nothing happens. When she opens the closet she is amazed with the variety of clothing. A few dresses, but nothing she wouldn't feel comfortable with wearing. Best of all, sweat pants and sweat shirts. Brianna takes a step back for a second to analyze the current situation. This doesn't feel right to her. She shouldn't be enjoying this. Still, she puts on a show for the man's sake, trying not to act like a spoiled brat and get punished for it after.    
  
"Well, go on in." the man insists in a happy voice.   
  
Brianna takes a hesitant step towards the massive bed. Maybe if she waits a day or two and is on her very best behaviour, this man will allow Josh to join her. She can't stand the thought of Josh sleeping on the cold floor while she sleeps in a nice warm bed...again. 

"Now that you're feeling a little more comfortable, I will answer your question about the revolution." the man says following Brianna into the room.  
  
Brianna turns around, stunned at the man's words. She almost asks him to repeat himself to make sure she heard him correctly. The man seems like a psychopath, yet he's being polite to her? That's what scares her the most.   
  
***  
  
Anna takes deep breaths as she reviews her current situation. Con-she's locked in a closet with no weapons or methods of self defense. Pro-she has her phone. Con-there's no reception. As the door begins to open she urges herself to stay calm. When she sees the face that she has grown to dispise, everything changes.  
  
"Hello beautiful." the boy smirks, "Ready for round two?"   
  
He reaches into the closet and grabs onto Anna's wrist tightly. Surprisingly, Anna isn't afraid anymore. She lets him drag her out of the closet, even watches as he thanks the old drunk. She lets him drag her out into the forest. She watches as the old drunk's house vanishes and vanishes until finally, she turns around to smirk at Alex. She had been admiring the gun attached to his hip ever since they left the house. Alex gives her a look of confusion right before Anna's knee connects with his crotch. Alex falls to the ground, releasing Anna from his grip as she swiftly grabs the gun from his side and aims it at his head.    
  
"If you try to follow me, the next bullet goes to you head." she warns him.   
  
Alex doesn't have time to respond as Anna turns away from him, the gun still in her grip.   
  
Then, she runs like hell.   
  
***  
  
Brianna sits in silence as she listens to the man talk about..well..just about anything except for her purpose in this so called revolution.   
  
"YOU LET HER GET AWAY? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU KID? I SHOULD KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!" Eddie screams from upstairs.   
  
"Excuse me for a minute." the man sighs.

Brianna nods. The man stops at her doorframe.  
  
"You can call me David, by the way." he smiles before exiting the room, closing the door behind himself.

The door makes a loud creaking noise. There goes Brianna's chance of escaping. She collapses back on the fluffy bed with a sigh. Thiscan't be happening, not again.  
  
***  
  
David marches up the stairs in frustration. At least the girl was cooperating. Now he needs to solve what ever the hell that idiot Eddie was yelling about.   
  
"What the fuck is going on up here?" David yells at the pair.   
  
"Your idiot son got taken down by a girl! That's what! She has our names and we're all screwed now!" Eddie yells in frustration.   
  
"Would you calm down for a minute and listen to me?" Alex counters, completely ignoring his father's presence.   
  
"What more is there to fucking listen to?? We've already had to move once, she has our fucking names, she can identify us! We're all going to prison because you couldn't handle one simple fucking task! Might as well just go downstairs and kill the bitch who started all of this!"   
  
"You need to shut your mouth before I do for you." David warns Eddie, "I just finished convincing the girl that she is safe her, that she won't be harmed. If you can't do your job, I have no problem getting rid of you once and for all. You and your wife. That slut can't even keep her hands to herself anyways! I'd be doing the world a favour."   
  
"What did you just fucking say about my wife?" Eddie growls at David.   
  
"You heard me. Drop the tough guy act and do your job properly." David growls back.   
  
Alex snickers in the background. David steps away from Eddie.   
  
"If your fucking son sends me to prison-"  
  
"Now unless you have a death wish, I suggest you leave the room." David snaps back, cutting Eddie off in mid sentence.  
  
Eddie doesn't even hesitate. He shoots Alex and his father one last glare before leaving the room. 

"You shouldn't be laughing." David turns towards his son, "Do you realize what you have done? If she gets to the police you'll be charged for both kidnapping and rape!"   
  
"Dad, she kneed me in the balls and I couldn't do anythin-"  
  
"Bullshit you couldn't do anything! You're too confident with yourself and you thought bringing her in would be no problem right? Well wake up, Alex! You were the real reason she got away. And what's this about nearly raping Brianna? Those were not your orders." David lectures his son.   
  
"Eddie told me to do whatever that was necessary to get her pregnant and-"   
  
"Now you listen to that idiot's orders? I'm your father, boy. You listen to me, not that nitwit. Your stupidity will only come back to bite you in the ass. If we go down for this, you aren't going to drag me with you. I don't care if you are my son. I didn't raise my son to be a narcasisstic, self concieved, idiot. If you try to drag me down, you'll only hurt your own case. There is no proof that I am connected to this. Not the kidnapping, the rape, the murder of that Blake boy, absolutely nothing on me. Besides, who the hell is going to believe you? To everyone else, you're a misfit. You ran away from your wealthy father to go get hooked on drugs and create a criminal record for yourself."   
  
"None of that is true." Alex counters, raising his voice at his father, "None of that is fucking true and you know it!"   
  
"Your own mother left because she couldn't handle the stress! Your mother left me to deal with your shit, and you know what Alex, I did! I dealt with your drinking and your drugs and your obsession with using women for sex to make yourself feel better, but then you went and raped a girl! I raised you better than this."   
  
"Says the guy who kidnapped not one, not two, not three, but four fucking people to start his little revolution. You got me into this dad-"  
  
"You got yourself into this!" David yells at his son, "Now here's what your going to do. And this time, you're going to leave your ego at home and get the job done. Do you understand?"   
  
Alex nods. Arguing is pointless.   
  
"You're going to get to the police station before Anna. You're going to report that your sister is schizophrenic and running around the streets with a gun. Since Anna does have a brother, and has a history of depression and attempted suicide, the story won't be hard to believe. Just incase I have had a few fake medical documents made up to help support your case. You will then say that you will take her to the hospital, get her checked out for injuries. Then, you will bring her back here. Am I clear?"  
  
"Yes." Alex answers.   
  
"Good. Then get on the road. Anna can't get to the station before you or the entire plan goes south."   
  
Alex nods and runs to his car.   
  
"Does anyone have a brain around here?" David groans running a hand through his hair.  
  
He heads back downstairs to check up on Josh. When David opens the door, Josh is sitting on the far side of the room, opposite to the bloodstain left behind by Blake. At least Eddie has enough decency to remove Blake's body.   
  
"What the hell do you want now?" Josh all but yells at David.   
  
Josh regrets not kissing Brianna when he had the chance. He misses her. He regrets not fighting for her. Although, Eddie had made sure Josh had gotten a good beating for his protests and vaguler language.   
  
"Brianna is fine." David states, putting emphasis on Brianna's name. 

"Bullshit." Josh mumbles.  
  
"Oh would you just relax? She's fine!" David snaps, growing inpatient.   
  
"She's afraid and alone! How is that fine?!" Josh snaps back.  
  
"I gave her a nice warm bed! Quit yelling at me, boy! She was a lot more respectful towards me than you are!"   
  
Josh gains some confidence, stepping up onto his feet he confronts David.   
  
"You ever think she's just cooperating because she's terrified of you? You kidnapped her! You're forcing her to get pregnant! What kind of sick human being does that to someone?" Josh yells stepping towards David.   
  
"I suggest you quit your yelling before I lose my patience, Josh." David says calmly, Josh's harsh words not phasing him the slightest.   
  
"You know it's sick fucks like you who deserve to rot in hell." Josh retorts.   
  
At this point he doesn't care what happens to him.   
  
"You don't know why I'm doing this. You're too naive to understand anyways." David glares at him.   
  
"Please. Enlighten me." Josh glares right back.   
  
"You're wasting my time. Brianna is fine and that is all you need to know for now." David snaps.   
  
"How would you feel, huh?" Josh screams as David turns to leave, "How would you feel if you had strong feelings about someone and you were forced to have sex with them for some revolution that you know absolutely nothing about! How would you feel if the girl you liked just had sex with you, only to be ripped from your arms and into some strange man's! How would you feel if you were being held captive against your will in some dingy basement cellar? How do you think she fucking feels! You don't have to carry a child around for nine months! You don't have to give that child up for some revolution. You don't fucking have to go through any of this. You're just using us as puppets. We are living, breathing, human beings, just like you. We have feelings, emotions, a choice. This is wrong. I don't know what's wrong with you for thinking it isn't. This is wrong."   
  
David finds himself almost laughing at Josh's sudden outburst.   
  
"You have so much to learn." he simply responds.   
  
In that moment, Josh contemplates strangling David, ripping him apart with his own bare hands.   
  
"Explain this to me. Explain how this is right." Josh challenges him, murderous thoughts aside.   
  
"In due time. All in due time." David smiles before shutting the door.   
  
***  
  
Katy stands beside Matt in anger.   
  
"Would you just listen to me for one damn minute? Our friends were kidnapped! Brianna Bridges sent me this text! She wouldn't have sent me false information!" Katy argues with a cop.   
  
"I'm sorry miss...look we got a call about a half hour ago that we would be getting pranked with that exact address." the cop sighs, repeating himself for the third time.   
  
"Brianna Bridges! Check her fucking name under missing persons or something! Check her file. I'm telling you she was kidnapped a week befor-"   
  
"Miss, I told you I can't do this right now. There are people with real emergencies that need to be taken care of. I can't waste my time with some fake kidnapping."   
  
"Officer, she's telling the truth." Matt steps in, "Josh Ramsay. Check his file."   
  
"Josh Ramsay? What about him?" the officer asks.   
  
"It's been all over the news. He's been missing for well over a few weeks now. Brianna Bridges was kidnapped the same night as him." Matt confirms.   
  
"Thank you." Katy replies with a clearly annoyed tone laced in her voice.   
  
"All right, I'll look into it." the officer sighs, "But I have to wait 24 hours."   
  
"Did you not understand a word I fucking said??" Katy lashes out at the officer.   
  
"Katy.." Matt says soothingly.   
  
It clearly has no effect on her.   
  
"No Matt! This is not acceptable. This man is supposed to inforce the law and help fellow Canadian citizens! He is clearly not doing his job properly. Our friends are missing and probably being tortured or something and I'm not just going to sit here and let that happen!" Katy yells.   
  
Every head in the room turns to look at her.   
  
"Come back in 24 hours. I suggest you leave." the officer says to Matt.   
  
"You've got to be fucking kidding me. I will not stand by and let this happen!" Katy yells as Matt gently ushers her out of the police station.   
  
"Idiots. All of them." Katy yells as soon as the pair exit the station.   
  
"We will have to wait-"  
  
"We can't just let this happen Matt!" Katy cuts him off.   
  
"I know. Believe me, I know. Cops are dicks. They are stuck on that stupid 24 hour rule. We will come back tomorrow, Katy. That's all we can do." Matt sighs.   
  
Katy sighs and looks down at the ground, slowly nodding.   
  
"Hey." Matt says gently, "Come here."   
  
He pulls her into a soothing hug, gently rubbing her back. As she pulls away from the gentle embrace, their eyes meet. Matt hesitates for a second before his eyes flicker down to her lips. He doesn't want to make a situation like this awkward, like he has a reputation of doing. Awkward is kind of his thing. Matt puts aside his insecurites for a moment, gently grabbing Katy's face. She does nothing to react to his sudden gesture, she just continues staring back into his eyes. Time seems to freeze as Matt gently places his lips to hers. Luckily, Katy immediately kisses him back. After a few seconds, they pull away, resting their foreheads together. They stand in silence for a moment, heavy breathing is all that can be heard.  
  
"Thanks Matt.' Katy whispers softly peering up into Matt's eyes.  
  
"Everything's going to be okay. We'll find them." Matt answers in a soft whisper.   
  
He kisses her forehead and opens the side door to his car, gesturing for her to get inside. 


	15. Drawn To Darkness

It's been three days and all has been quiet. Brianna hasn't said a word since the last time she spoke to David. David will occasionally bring her food throughout the day, try to talk to her, but Brianna keeps herself on mute.   
  
She hasn't put up much of a struggle. Today was the day she was going to ask for Josh to stay with her. She hopes David is in a good mood. As usual she browses through the hundreds of books in her own personal library. That's how she spends her days now. Brianna has always secretly loved to read. She loves the idea of fantasizing about fictional places. Dystopian worlds were her favourite to read about. She's just starting a new chapter when her door slowly swings open. It's no surprise to her when she glances up to see David shutting the door.   
  
"Brianna?" he asks softly.   
  
Brianna is annoyed. She has always hated when someone had interrupted her reading. Still, she glances up curiously, setting her book aside.   
  
"You haven't said a word or eaten a meal in days." he states.   
  
Brianna doesn't respond.   
  
"I know you miss him." David sighs sitting down beside her on the bed.   
  
Her breath hitches in her throat as he gently grabs her hand.   
  
"I know you're afraid. I know you think I'm going to hurt you. But I'm not. I told you, you're safe here."   
  
He gazes into her eyes. She can't look away.   
  
"You need to take care of yourself."  
  
She looks at him dead pan in the face, nearly yelling back at him. He doesn't give a shit about her. He cares about her non-existant pregnancy running smoothly. She needs to get out of here before David discovers that she isn't pregnant.   
  
Brianna nods.   
  
"Good." David sighs in relief.   
  
"On one condition." Brianna croaks out for the first time in three days, "You let Josh come here to help me through this."   
  
David is taken back by her sudden request.   
  
"I can help you." he offers.   
  
"Josh is the father, I need him here." Brianna bluntly states.   
  
He sighs and runs a steady hand through his dark brown hair. Finally Brianna gives up on being paitent with this man.   
  
"Look I don't even want to be pregnant! Not under these circumstances anyways. If you're going to hold me here against my will then you should at least allow me to have the father stay with me."   
  
David looks at her with wide eyes. He is astonished that she has finally stuck up for herself.   
  
"Look around you. Did I not give you a bed to sleep in and food to eat? You should be grateful-"   
  
"Those are my terms David." she interrupts him in mid sentence, "You allow Josh to stay in here with me, or I will starve myself to death."   
  
He releases his tender grip on her hands.   
  
"Listen to me, little girl." David says in a warning tone, "You are testing my patience. Sooner or later, you will give up on your little hunger strike because it will drive you mad. When you do, you'll realize that you do not have any power here. You can't blackmail me, nor can you make a deal."   
  
Brianna realizes that she is forced to use her last resort. Brianna quickly averts her gaze to her lap .   
  
"I'm sorry." she whispers, "I just can't do this alone."   
  
"Well you should've thought of that before you attempted to blackmail me." David nearly laughs at her.   
  
"You know what?" Brianna laughs angrily, "Why me? Do you not have a wife who can start your damn revolution? Or did she realize that she married some sadistic asshole who kidnaps innocent girls!"   
  
"If I were you I would shut my mouth."  
  
"Why David? Is that the truth? Did I hit a nerve?"   
  
David stands up from the bed and turns towards Brianna.   
  
"Or maybe your wife was revolted by you and your son."   
  
He takes a deep breath.   
  
"You weren't even married, were you?" she taunts standing up in front of him.

"Shut up." he warns her.   
  
"Of course you weren't. Not even a low life scum would want to marry yo-"   
  
"I SAID SHUT UP!" he screams at her, viciously grabbing her throat as he pins her against the wall.  
  
Brianna takes a few deep breaths. The grip on her throat wasn't life threatening, but it was enough to be intimidating. 

"Are you done being a brat?" David says in a low gravelly voice.   
  
"Nope. Just getting started." Brianna smirks back.   
  
His grip on her throat tightens.   
  
"You know, it may not be wise to be talking to me like this considering I'm the one who brings you food and gives you a bed to sleep in at night."   
  
"Well it may not be wise to kill the woman who is the key to beginning your revolution." she croaks out.

"Maybe not." he smirks leaning closer to her, "but there are plenty of other candidates."   
  
Brianna begins to panic and before she knows what she is doing, her eyes are on his perfect lips. David takes notice in her sudden gesture and appears confused. Brianna's breath quickens as her eyes meet his once again in an intense gaze of desire. David stares down at the rapturously beautiful blonde woman in front of him. Brianna jerks her head forward until their lips meet.   
  
Anna sprints through the dark and mysterious forest looking for any sign of civilization. She keeps Alex's gun gripped tightly incase someone is chasing her. By now Alex was bound to have told Eddie about her great escape and it was only a matter of time before someone caught up to her. Her breath is heavy and she can feel the sweat on her face. A sudden breeze every now and then causes Anna's body to shiver. She is determined to make it out alive. Her arm is numb but she tries her best not to worry about the stab wound. Each step she takes causes a shot of adrenaline to course through her veins. Adrenaline is the only thing stopping her body from giving out from exhaustion. Her feet are bare and bloody from rocks and other sharp objects found on the forest floor. All is silent except for Anna's low gasps for air. Until finally, she comes across a dirt road. Anna smiles happily to herself, still staying hidden by bushes, trees and any sense of shelter the forest can offer her, she runs along the road opposite to the direction of Eddies deserted farmhouse. She reaches into Josh's jacket pocket and pulls out her cell phone, once again checking for reception. To her surprise, she has a bar. As she continues to trek across the forest lining, she dials three familiar numbers into her phone.   
  
Josh silently tosses a small rock he had found against the wall. Not much has changed for him. He hasn't seen David since his last visit three days ago. Eddie pays him a visit every once and awhile, sometimes he tries to pick a fight with Josh, other times Caroline brings him food and water. Not that Josh has eaten since Brianna was taken from his arms. He often finds himself thinking about their final moments together and how he could have protected her. Every time he closes his eyes he sees her face. He misses her immensely and would do almost anything to hold her in his arms once again. Time drags on slowly, every minute seems like an hour. A part of him worries for her. In a week or so, David will find out that she is not pregnant. He wonders what will happen to her when the time comes. Will they murder her in cold blood? Or perhaps they will bring her back to him to try again. While Josh perfers to think of the second option, he dreads it for Brianna. Of course he would rather she be alive and well, but she doesn't want to do this. She doesn't want to be a slave to David and his mysterious revolting revolution. Although Josh hasn't known her for long, he feels like he does. If there's one thing he knows for sure, it's that Brianna will fight like hell until the very end, just like he will. 

David, shocked as he is, kisses Brianna back with intensity. His hands leave her neck to tangle in her golden hair. As Brianna breaks away from the kiss to catch her breath, David's lips trail down her neck, placing sloppy kisses until he reaches her collarbone. Brianna's lips part in complete surprise. Her eyes widen as she feels his hands begin to unbutton her white cardigan. Still, she lets him push the cardigan off of her arms, leaving her in a tight black tanktop. Slightly afraid of what he will do next, Brianna roughly grabs his face and kisses him again. She is taken by surprise when David spins around, throwing her down on the bed. He is straddling her and in complete control.   
  
"We can't." she finally gains the courage to break away from the kiss. 

He appears to ignore her as his fingers rest at the hem of her tanktop. He leaves a trail of kisses down her body, causing Brianna to shudder.   
  
"David, stop." she says more forcefully, taking his head in her hands.   
  
He looks up at her in confusion and for a brief moment Brianna's swears she sees a glimmer of hurt wash across his face. She sighs and sits up on her elbows.   
  
"We can't do this." she repeats herself.  
  
"Why?" he asks.   
  
"I might be pregnant." she lies, "I just can't-"   
  
"Is that the only excuse you can think of?" he cuts her off.

Brianna can sense the hurt and betrayal in his tone of voice. She almost feels sorry for him. Then she remembers where she is.   
  
He sighs as he rolls off of Brianna's body. Brianna sits up and crosses her legs, glancing down at her lap and regretting the past few moments.   
  
After a few moments of awkward silence, David turns to face her.   
  
"You know, I thought I had you all figured out. Average girl who accidentally fell in love with some messed up rock star, the typical teenage romance novel. Guess I was wrong. I knew you were drawn towards me from the moment we met, but I had never expected it to go this far. What happened, happened sure, but what I can't figure out is why you didn't stop me earlier. It's obvious your initial plan was to butter me up, give me the illusion that someone does care about me, probably steal my gun and escape...but you didn't. Why didn't you? You had  the prefect opportunity. Yet you wasted it."   
  
Brianna bites her lip nervously. He's right. Her initial plan was to steal his gun and get the hell out of here. Why didn't she?

"No answer?" he raises an eyebrow at her.   
  
Brianna sits quietly. She really doesn't have an answer to his question. She can't have feelings for him. He's the reason she's in this place to begin with.   
  
"Girl who is in love with some messed up rock star is suddenly drawn to darkness? Nice plot twist, don't you think?" David slurs in anger as he exits the room, leaving Brianna to her thoughts.   
  
David storms down the hallway to the room where Josh is being kept. He swings the door open in pure jealously.   
  
"Why you, huh?" he questions.   
  
Josh glances up at him in confusion.  
  
"Innocent girl falls in love with pretty boy rockstar with an ugly past. All sounds a little too perfect and clichè if you ask me." David states advancing towards Josh.   
  
Josh scrambles to his feet.   
  
"But maybe it's meant to be that way. Maybe in the end it'll all work out."   
  
"What are you rambling on about-?" Josh asks.   
  
"Or maybe just maybe, in this story the villian will win. There's only one way to find out."   
  
David grabs Josh's arm. Josh instinctively pushes David away. David responds by punching Josh across the face with such force that causes Josh to drop down against the wall. David's paitence finally runs out as he grabs Josh by the collar of his shirt, repeatedly punching him in the face. Then he notices Josh's lip is dripping blood. He stops the punches and drags Josh to his feet. Josh spits out blood. If David would have continued the attacks, Josh would've needed stitches. David drags Josh out of the room. Josh is still terribly confused as David reaches a new room at the end of a long hallway. He is even more surprised when David kicks the door open to reveal Brianna curled up in a ball.   
  
"Let go of me you son of a bitch!" Josh wrestles David's grip.   
  
Brianna's head snaps up at the sound of his voice. Her eyes widen when she realizes that David has him.   
  
"I want to see her reaction." David smiles through gritted teeth.   
  
"Her reaction to what?" Josh asks.   
  
David smirks as he drives his knee into Josh's stomach. 

"Josh!" Brianna screams in horror.   
  
David notices Brianna jump to her feet.   
  
"You take one more step and I'll kill him." David warns her.   
  
Brianna stops dead in her tracks.   
  
Without warning, David drives his elbow down on the back of Josh's head. Again, Brianna screams for him to stop. Completely ignoring her, David proceeds to forcefully kick Josh's quivering body over and over again. 

"Do you love him?" David asks.   
  
Brianna says nothing. She can't find the words to say.   
  
The silence drives David mad. 

"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION. DO. YOU. LOVE. HIM?" David screams at her, kicking Josh again.   
  
Josh is barely conscious by now. He doesn't have the strength to fight back as David drops to his knees and begins to strangle him.   
  
"YES. I LOVE HIM!" Brianna chokes out in terror.   
  
David releases Josh's throat and stands up. He grips his collar and drags him to his feet once again. David takes a step towards Brianna, shoving Josh towards her. Brianna just barely catches his body.   
  
"Then act like it." David sneers before slamming the door shut and leaving the pair alone.   
  
Brianna begins to cry harder as Josh pants for air in her arms. She guides him to the bed and gently lays his body down on the soft mattress.   
  
"I'm sorry." Brianna sobs over and over again,  _"I'm so so sorry."_  
  
Josh wants to comfort Brianna. She shouldn't be crying over him. This wasn't her fault.   
  
But she knew it was. Josh was almost killed because she couldn't control herself. What was she thinking kissing David? He's a bad guy! Maybe he's right, maybe the innocent are drawn to darkness. One thing is for sure, she has betrayed Josh.   
  
  
  
"Hello 911, please state your emergency."   
  
Anna grins in excitement at the voice on the other line. This is it, she's going to be okay. She quickly lists off her name and situation to the woman on the other line, as well as an approximate location. When she is assured that help is on the way, she hangs up her cell phone and shoves it back into her pocket. She slows her sprint to a steady walk and feels a weight being lifted off of her shoulders. She will finally be free.   
  
She hums a familiar tune as she continues to walk along the forest lining. Gazing up at the sky, she sees a beautiful sunrise. Things are finally looking up. She smiles to herself, ignoring the pain in her arm and feet. She smiles because she will finally be able to see her family again. She isn't just another nameless kidnapped girl who is found dead in a ditch. She's a survivor. She has faced the worst and now it's time to go home. 

Sadly, that's not how her story goes. She freezes in her footsteps when she hears a twig breaking not far from when she is standing. Her grip is back on Alex's gun as she cautiously inspects the source of the sudden noise. When she catches a glimpse of a boy with dark hair holding a gun, she takes off in another sprint.   
  
She is so close to freedom. Alex isn't going to stop her, not this time. She hears his steady footsteps in the distance advancing on her. That's when she hears it. The sound of a car, not far from where she is. When the car is in her range, she runs out to the middle of the road, waving her arms from the car to stop. She looks behind her only to see Alex emerging from the treeline, not too far from her.   
  
"STOP!" she desperately yells at the car, "HELP ME!" 


	16. Ana...whatnow?

Josh is asleep.   
Brianna is relived. She can't possibly bring herself to face him so soon, especially after that. No matter how wrong she knows what just happened is, she can't help but touch her lips, remembering the kiss. The kiss that was not in any way possible chaste. Yes, the kiss was originally meant to be a distraction and nothing more. But was it..? Brianna bites her lip and gazes down at Josh's sleeping body. David doesn't care about her well being, Josh does. Josh is risking his own life with this lie. Things could end horribly for him too.   
  
She makes a quick decision to hide Josh from the truth. It's what is best for him. She glances down at her white cardigan piled on the floor where David had left it only a few moments ago. Standing up, Brianna makes her way towards the closet. She pulls the tight black tank top over her head and pulls a baby pink flowy long sleeve shirt off of the rack. She pulls it over her head and sighs. She just didn't feel right wearing the tank top after David had touched her- _kissed_  her the way that he did. She grabs a brush and heads to the bathroom, carefully closing the door so she wouldn't wake up Josh. She glances up at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair is a mess. Knotted and frizzy in every way possible. She runs the brush gently through her long blonde hair. A mark on her neck catches her attention.   
  
 _"No."_  she whispers,  _"No no no.."  
  
  
_ She pulls down the collar of the baby pink shirt to reveal a dark large hickey embroidered on her skin. She runs her now shaky hands through her hair as she fights back tears. Dropping to her knees, she gives up trying to fight it. Her hands cover her face as she begins to sob.   
  
  
  
"Why are we driving all the way out here at this hour?" Matt asks.   
  
"Because our friends need our help." Katy replies.   
  
She is slightly frustrated after being refused help at the police station and had insisted they drive out to investigate for themselves. Matt had of course objected, so Katy made up a lie. She had suggested that they go to Walmart to pick something up that she had run out of at home, the Walmart on the other side of town in the middle of nowhere.   
  
"You made me drive all the way out here so you could investigate where Josh and Brianna are being held, didn't you?" Matt questions her.   
  
"Look Matt I'm sorry for tricking you, but they need us! Imagine being in their situation. I would sure as hell be hoping for rescue." she pauses, "Although I guess being kidnapped with you wouldn't be so bad." Katy adds.  
  
"Oh really?" Matt chuckles.   
  
"Yep. You just have one of those faces, y'know?"   
  
"Do I now?"   
  
"You look like you have never been in a real fist fight, so sacrificing you so I can escape would be a piece of cake!" she jokes.   
  
"Hey!" Matt laughs, "And here I thought you were trying to flirt with me."   
  
"Well, if I remember correctly it was you who kissed me." she taunts.   
  
"Yeah but if I remember correctly, it was you who kissed me ba-"   
  
"STOP THE CAR!" Katy suddenly screams.   
  
Matt's eyes widen as he spots a girl in the middle of the road. 

Anna flails her arms begging and pleading for the car to stop. To her surprise, it does, and not a moment too soon.   
  
"Oh thank God." Anna breathes sprinting over to the passenger side door.   
  
Katy rolls the window down.   
  
"Are you alright?" she barely gets out.   
  
"I'M BEING CHASED. I KNOW THIS SOUNDS ABSOLUTELY CRAZY BUT I WAS HELD CAPTIVE AND ESCAPED AND-"   
  
"I believe you. Matt open the door." Katy orders Matt.   
  
Matt unlocks the car door and Anna slips into the back seat.   
  
"DRIVE!" she yells.   
  
Matt steps on the gas as Alex approaches the car.   
  
"GET DOWN!" Anna yells as she glances at Alex for long enough to see him pull out a gun and aim it at the car.   
  
A few bullets hit the exterior of the car, surely leaving some dents. Luckily, Alex didn't hit the tires.   
  
"You've got to turn around. We can't go this way!" Anna pants.   
  
"Take this detour." Katy tells Matt.   
  
Matt veers the car to the left on the next exit. As they travel down a deserted dirt road, Katy turns to Anna.   
  
"You have to tell us exactly what happened."   
  
Anna nods and tells her everything from the moment she was kidnapped to what Eddie had done to Blake to running from Alex. Katy and Matt listen carefully to her story, taking in every single detail.   
  
"Where do you want us to take you?" Matt asks.   
  
"The police station. Knowing Eddie, he will have someone come looking for me. I know it sounds stupid, but the first place they will check is the police station, then the hospital." Anna replies nervously tapping her fingers on her lap.   
  
"Why the hospital?" Katy asks.   
  
"Because when I escaped, Eddie threw a knife at me."  Anna sighs, "But its fine. We burned the wound to stop the bleeding."   
  
"Honey that's going to get infected. You have to get stitches for that. Maybe some antibiotics!" Katy insists.   
  
"I'll be fine." Anna insists.   
  
Matt turns his head away from the road to examine her stab wound. When he does, he notices something familiar.   
  
"Where'd you get that jacket?" Matt asks, turning his head back to the road.   
  
"A man named Josh who was kidnapped with me. At first I was terrified of him, but he was oddly polite considering the circumstances. He was the one who helped me escape. He almost made it out too, but then Eddie was threatening to hurt some girl if he didn't return. So he wished me luck and went back." Anna explains.   
  
"The girl, was her name Brianna by any chance?" Katy asks.   
  
"Yeah. Why?" she shrugs.   
  
"And the man, Josh, did he have blue and black hair by any chance?"   
  
"Yes. Are you guys undercover cops or something?" Anna questions.   
  
"No." Matt laughs.   
  
Katy ignores Matt's stupidity, turning to Anna once again.   
  
"What's your name?"   
  
"Anna."   
  
"Okay, listen Anna." Katy explains, "We're going to bring you to the police station like you asked, but once we get there you are going to tell the cops everything that you told us. From beginning to end. You'll have to mention Josh and Brianna's names, and probably their appearances."  
  
"I didn't see the Brianna girl. Just heard her voice through the phone." Anna cuts Katy off.  
  
"Whatever you know, you just need to tell them. Any information that you can give them will be helpful, just trust me. Alright?" Katy asks.   
  
Anna nods in understanding.   
  
Katy smiles and turns to Matt, "Bring us to the nearest police station."   
  
Brianna puts herself up off of the bathroom floor, and begins to dig through the makeup that David had provided her. She uses a combination of blush, cover up and foundation to successfully hide the hickey. Then she puts on a smile and exits the bathroom. Josh is still asleep. She notices his split lip and battered face for the first time. Guilt hits her again. She pushes it aside and makes her way back to the bathroom. She digs through the cabinets until she finds neatly stacked towels and washcloths. She grabs a wash cloth, wetting it with cool water. Brianna makes her way back to Josh. She kneels down beside the bed, carefully pressing the wash cloth on the biggest cut on his cheek. Carefully, she gently wipes away the blood. The sudden gesture causes Josh to squirm a little. Her face studies his as she carefully cleans each cut. When she is finished, she walks back to the bathroom to rinse out the cloth.   
  
She watches the blood disappear into the sink and suddenly feels light headed. She caused this. She did this to him.   
  
Ignoring her own negative thoughts, she returns to Josh. This time she places the damp, cool cloth on his forehead. Finally, he wakes up.   
  
"Hey." he smiles at her.   
  
"Hi." she nervously smiles back.   
  
"You didn't need to do that." Josh whispers softly.  
  
"No. I did." she smiles nervously, "I'm the reason he hurt you in the first place."   
  
Brianna bites her lip anxiously.  
  
"Come here." Josh groans as he tries to move.   
  
Brianna stands up and walks around to the opposite side of the bed. She discreetly moves her hair in a way so that it is covering the right side of her neck. She gets on the bed, crawling over to his side. He positions her so that her head is resting on his chest. Josh's arms are protectively around Brianna's small body.   
  
"Just think." Josh laughs, "Last time we did this it was on a cold floor. This, my dear, is an improvement."   
  
Brianna smiles up at him. How could she ever do something as awful as hurting him? But she did. It's too late now. Making out with the enemy is not the best way to earn someone's trust. Josh brushes her hair back and Brianna's heart skips a beat as she begins to panic. What if he discovers her mark of shame?  
  
"What is it?" he asks.   
  
He must've noticed her heart beat speed up.   
  
"I'm just happy." she lies.   
  
"I'm glad." he smiles lovingly at her, "Because seeing you happy makes me happy."  
  
  
"DAMNIT!" Alex shouts at no one in particular.   
  
If he lets Anna escape...again, his father would have his head. His number one priority right now is making sure that he reaches the police station before the people who helped Anna do. Life would be a whole lot easier if he had just shot her when he had that chance. He stalks back to his car that he had left parked a few miles away mumbling a few incoherent curse words. A few moments later he arrives. He gets into his car and takes a shortcut to the police station.   
  
  
  
"Alright..here goes nothing." Katy sighs shutting the car door.   
  
Katy opens the door for Anna. With a smile, Anna limps out of the car. It is only now that Katy realizes Anna's bare and battered feet.   
  
"Were you running through the forest bare foot?" Katy asks raising an eyebrow.   
  
Anna nods.  
  
"I didn't really have access to shoes."   
  
"You ready?" Katy asks.   
  
"No. Let's go." Anna sighs.   
  
Matt is already holding open the glass door to the station.   
  
"What a gentlemen." Katy mocks Matt as she walks through the door and into the station.   
  
Katy wastes no time in marching straight up to the front desk and demanding to speak to an officer, With some debate, the secretary finally agrees and guides Katy to the room that they were previously in. When the officer sees Katy, he is not happy.   
  
"I thought I told you to come back in 24 hours?" he complains.  
  
"Well that was before we found her wandering around in the streets, screaming for help." Katy replies.   
  
"Oh my God." the officer says finally noticing the half naked girl standing in his office, "What's your name?"   
  
"Anastasia Ravin." Anna states.

"Ravin?" the police officer's eyes widen, "You're Giuseppe's daughter?"

Anna nods.   
  
"You've been gone for over a week! Your father has been calling in non stop about you! Where the hell have you been?"   
  
"I was kidnapped." Anna explains, "A boy named Alex...he...he sedu...he drugged me and kidnapped me."   
  
Katy looks at her nervously. Stuttering isn't a great indication that someone is telling the truth.   
  
"That's it?" the officer asks.   
  
Katy bites her lip and tries her best not to step in.   
  
"He drugged me. Kidnapped me. Sent me into a room with two guys. One of them was called Blake. The other was Josh. Blake was brutally murdered at the hands of a man named Eddie. Josh and I tried to escape, but they caught him again."   
  
"That's not what you told us." Katy cuts in.   
  
"Let her talk." the officer warns Katy.   
  
"He was warned okay? Josh was helping me escape when Eddie called my phone and said that he would hurt some girl named Brianna if Josh didn't return. So he did and I ran. I ran until I picked up a signal and then I called the station. Then I saw the boy...Alex. He had a gun and he was chasing me. And that's when they found me. I saw a car so I ran out into the middle of the road, luckily these two stopped in time."   
  
The officer carefully considers the young girl's words. He sighs and runs a steady hand through his hair.   
  
"Look, I'm sorry. I believe you, I really do, it's just that we have to wait 24 hours before I can file a report. Unless you have any physical evidence you're out of luc-"   
  
"I do have evidence." Anna interrupts him, "My phone is set to record every phone call I take."   
  
Anna reaches into her pocket and pulls out her cell phone. She tampers with a few buttons before voices suddenly flood the room.   
  
 _"Brianna?"_ Josh's voice echoes throughout the small enclosed room.  
  
 _"Who is this?"_  
  
 _"Josh. I got your number off of the internet, I'm using a girl's phone who was held hostage with me. I need you to call the police, then call me back through this number. The police will be able to track it."_  
  
 _"Help is on the way. Hang in there, Josh. I'm coming for you._ " Brianna urges.  
  
 _"No! Eddie will kill you too!"_ Josh whispers.   
  
 _"Okay, fine. Look, I'm going to do what you asked and call the police. They will come rescue you."_

The recording stops as the line goes dead.   
  
"Before you tell us that it's not enough evidence, I have another recording that occurred just over twenty minutes later." Anna speaks up. 

  
Again, the four are silent as the recording begins with Josh's frantic voice.   
  
 _"Brianna?! What's happening?? Did you call the police?"_  
  
 _"I'm afraid not Josh."_  Eddie replies.   
  
 _"How did you get this number?"_ Josh demands.   
  
 _"Wasn't hard, actually. Your dear friend Brianna basically delivered it to me herself. Go on Brianna, say hi to your boyfriend."_  
  
There is a moment of silence and silent protest before Brianna's voice is heard.   
  
 _"KEEP RUNNING JOSH!"_ she says quickly.   
  
 _"Listen carefully Josh, you have exactly fifteen minutes to get back to the house before pretty little Brianna, loses an eye. The clock starts now."_ Eddie threatens before ending the call.  
  
The cop is still unsure as he hands Anna back her phone.  
  
"If it helps, this was the last text Brianna managed to send me." Katy hands over her phone.   
  
The cop carefully studies the phone screen. Eight words appear. Each one screaming desperately for help.  
  
 _ **"ALEX HAS ME SEND HELP. HE'S TAKING ME TO"**_  
  
"And hey, if all that doesn't help you make up your mind, just remember that my dad has enough power and influence to see to it that you are fired. But I'm sure we can avoid all that nasty trouble and just issue a report, right?" Anna warns.  
  
Katy and Matt stand in awe at the strangers proposition. Anna, small and frail as she may be, seems to have a lot of power in this town. Better to be an Allie than an enemy. The three wait in anticipation for the man's decision.   
  
"Follow me please." he gestures holding the glass door open.   
  
Anna follows close behind him, Katy and Matt are taking up the rear.   
  
"Hey Parker. I need you to issue out a Missing Persons Report for a girl named Brianna Bridges." the cop orders another officer.   
  
Katy breathes a sigh of relief. Maybe her friend will be okay.   
  
"I'll need all the information you have on her. Appearance, height, age, place last seen, a picture of her and you get the idea." the officer explains to the three.   
  
Katy opens her mouth to speak, but is cut short when a man suddenly bursts through the door in a commotion.   
  
"I NEED HELP, PLEASE!" he pleads, "MY SISTER IS OFF HER MEDS AND SHE'S A SCHIZOPHRENIC. SHE'S TELLING PEOPLE THAT SHE IS THE DAUGHTER OF THE RICHEST MAN IN TOWN AND CLAIMS THAT A SERIAL KILLER IS AFTER HER. I THINK SHE'S SUICIDAL, YOU'VE GOT TO HELP ME FIND HER!" he yells out to no one in particular.  
  
He eyes the group, approaching the officer.   
  
"Oh my God, you found her!" he glances at Anna.   
  
Anna's eyes widen as she takes a step back.   
  
"THAT'S THE ONE WHO KIDNAPPED THE GIRL, GET HIM AWAY FROM ME!" Anna yells in horror.   
  
The officer looks at Katy in pure confusion.   
  
"I saw you that night! You seduced Brianna at the club and tricked her into liking you, just so you could kidnap her!" Katy argues, putting his face to the man at the club who was making out with her best friend, "On top of that you tried to take advantage of her while you were obviously completely sober and aware of what was happening."   
  
"I don't know who you are or what you're taking about. I came for my sister!" Alex flat out lies in protest, "My name is Xavier Cromwell, my sister's name is Anna-Lisa Cromwell. She is a schizophrenic and in need of immediate care."   
  
The way Alex sells his story almost has Katy herself convinced, which is frightening on a completely different level.   
  
"He's lying. Don't listen to a word this lying bastard says. Check his fingerprints or something!" Katy blurts out.   
  
"You have no evidence that this young woman is indeed your sister, nonetheless a schizophrenic-" the officer starts, suddenly cut off by Alex.  
  
"I believe all the paperwork you need is in order."   
  
Alex hands the officer a file with steady hands. The officer sighs, he has had enough of this for one night.   
  
"He was the one chasing her before we picked her up off of the road!" Katy yells.   
  
"The paperwork seems to be in order." the officer replies, "However, we will need to check your fingerprint before we send the girl anywhere near you."   
  
"I can't believe this!" Alex protests, "She's my sister! We are blood related for God sakes! Why are you making me go through so much trouble to bring her back home, where she will be safe?"   
  
"Because your name isn't Xavier Cromwell. Anna isn't your blood related sister. And you have absolutely no business being anywhere near her, or Brianna for the matter!" Katy retorts.   
  
"Who the hell do you think you are? You have no business here! Calling me a liar? Kidnapping my sister off of the streets-"  
  
Katy laughs at his false accusations.   
  
"Look Alex." she says with a distinct venom to his name, "I really don't care who you really are. All I want are my best friend and Josh returned home safely."   
  
"You know what?" Alex snarls, "Keep the bitch! She's crazy anyways, and certainly not worth all of this trouble."   
  
Without another word, he storms out of the police station.  


	17. Marked

David paces aimlessly throughout the living room of the old abandoned farm house. His thoughts ponder specifically about Brianna, the incredibly ravishing blonde girl locked up in his basement. She had kissed him, and he had kissed her. The situation wouldn't be as dreadful and dire if she hadn't been his prisoner. And of course, if she wasn't in love with another man. The only question left unanswered was why didn't she take advantage of his weakened state? He had a gun, which she could have easily taken and threatened him with. Now that the tables have turned, implications have made the situation complicated and messy. Another thought that was constantly crossing his mind was about the revolution and the pregnancy. It has almost been a week now and the time of testing Brianna's pregnancy was fast approaching. And if things weren't already complicated enough, his own son refuses to speak to him. Maybe he had been too harsh on him for failing to return the Anna girl. On the plus side, the police haven't come to investigate any disappearances, which was odd considering that Anna was free. Then again, maybe she was too frightened to remember anything. After he confirms that Brianna is in fact pregnant, he will move her to a safer location. 

"What the hell are you so deep in thought about?" asks Caroline suddenly. 

It's almost as though she had appeared out of thin air the way that she had snuck up behind David. Caroline was something entirely different. Ever since the physical mishap with Brianna, David had instructed Caroline to bring the captives a meal twice a day. He couldn't bear face Brianna or Josh after such a short period of time. And although Caroline was great at hiding the bruises and scars, David was well aware of what Eddie was doing to her. He was also aware that Caroline hated her husband with a passion so strong you would think she would murder him the first chance that she got. David wasn't blind at the subtle flirtations she would shoot his way every once and a while either. It was comforting to him in a way, a woman taking a special interest in him again after so many years. Sure David has good looks and charm, but he isolates himself from the world, making it impossible to obtain a wife. 

"I'm just thinking about the future." he sighs, "How this revolution will change everything." 

Caroline nods. She is slightly confused, but the way the man speaks is enough to draw her interest. He was the type of man who could ramble on about the earth's landscape for hours on end without losing anyone's interest. It truly amazed her that he wasn't an author or something.

"Has my son returned yet?" he asks, turning to face her. 

Caroline shakes her head, causing the man to sigh. 

"Can I ask you something kind of...personal?" Caroline asks cautiously. 

As charming and handsome as David may be, Caroline is aware of what he is capable of. David raises an eyebrow at her, silently urging her to proceed. 

"Is Alex really your son?" Caroline asks with a softness to her voice. 

"Why would you ask me something like that?" David demands, obviously taken off guard by her question. 

"It's just-the math doesn't fit. You couldn't have possibly gotten a girl pregnant at eleven years old." she explains. 

"I didn't." David sighs, "But I am his father." 

For a second it seems as if David was not going to explain himself, until he opens his mouth again to speak. 

"I had an older brother. He was irresponsible and careless. He claimed to have fallen in love at a young age and got his girlfriend at the time pregnant. Of course, he was the type of man who would leave a woman, afraid of any form of commitment whatsoever. When he met one girl, he was blinded by his love for her, but he was also terrified as hell. His fear of attachments only led him to break her heart. She was sixteen years old when she got pregnant, seventeen by the time she gave birth. He wasn't there. He left her, and she kept a huge secret from him. He was a father. When the stress became too much for her, she came knocking on my door in the middle of the night for help. I remember that night as if it were yesterday. I was 14 years old at the time,the child was 3. I offered to help her take care of the child and despite the age difference, we became a family for a while. Until one night, she took the baby and disappeared. My life went back to normal for a while. I lived the same old ordinary teenage life. Homework, cramming, the occasional party, until my senior year. I was 18 at the time, just about to graduate. A sudden knock at my door at around 3am woke me up. I answered the door to see her. It had been two whole years. Two whole years and she had the nerve to show up during the middle of the night in tears, begging for me to take the baby. She had lost her job and couldn't support him anymore. Alex was 7 years old and well aware of what was happening. Still, the woman shoved him into my arms and left. No matter how hard I had tried to find his biological mother, it was as if she had never existed. She must've changed her name and moved to another country. Instead of deserting the poor kid, I took him in and raised him as my own, because my brother sure as hell wouldn't accept the responsibility of having a son." David explains, his tone of voice suggesting that the topic had been difficult for him to talk about.

Caroline stays silent, hanging on to every word that comes out of the man's mouth. Neither of them say anything until David breaks the lingering silence with a long exaggerated sigh. 

"It's almost been a week." he sighs, "Can you do me a favour?" 

Caroline is taken back by his request, but nonetheless she responds with a simple, "Sure." 

"Run out to the pharmacy and pick up a few different pregnancy tests." 

"Right now?" Caroline asks.

"Yes please." he smiles charmingly at her, "I'll inform Eddie if he asks."

Caroline smiles back at him and leaves the room.

 

Brianna has kept her distance from Josh ever since the event with David. She has been careful, wearing her hair down and wearing scarves when possible. Though the guilt continues to eat away at her through each passing moment, Brianna is determined to keep the secret from Josh. 

Josh, on the other hand, has taken Brianna's distance from him as stress. Naturally, she should be nervous. Afterall, it has been six days since they had "sex" and David should be paying her a visit within the next few days, probably to give her a pregnancy test. When he discovers that Brianna isn't pregnant, she will probably be forced to try again. He can't do that to her. He can't rape her for some stupid revolution that he knows nothing about. 

On top of all that, the pair have no idea of how they will escape this hell. 

Josh sighs as admires Brianna's current state. She's buried deep in one of those books that she seems to enjoy immensely. He decides that enough is enough. Ever so carefully, Josh walks towards the edge of the bed, just out of her eyesight. He sits down next to her in a position where the left side of her neck is completely accessible. With a gentle gesture, Josh carefully pulls the collar of the mint green sweater she is wearing down past her shoulder. 

Brianna notices the gesture, but gives no sign of recognition. Still, her palms grip the binding of the novel that she was engulfed in only a few seconds ago, just a little bit tighter. Nonchalantly, she catches her bottom lip with her teeth. Brianna fights the urge to close her eyes and give in to him. She can't. Her heart pounds in her chest with anticipation as to what comes next. 

Josh takes a steady hand, moving her luscious locks of golden hair aside. He notices Brianna's mouth gape open slightly. He shifts his body and places his hands gently on her waist, now feeling the warmth radiating off of Brianna's skin. 

The butterflies in Brianna's stomach seem to multiply as Josh leans in closer. She can now feel his warm breath on her neck. Her body shivers in delight. Her eyes slowly flutter shut as she feels his soft lips on her neck. She bites back a soft moan. The lump at the back of her throat urges her that this is wrong, but her body disagrees. Her back arches, tilting her head back into him. The novel that she was reading has been discarded onto the floor. The page she was on is lost, but that is the last thing on her mind as Josh kisses down her neck. Her breath quickens until finally, Brianna has had enough teasing. She snaps out of her hazy state and reaches for Josh's head, roughly pulling his lips up to meet hers. Together, they share a heated kiss. 

He kisses her with not only passion, but with love.

The kiss turns sloppy fast. 

Her body turns to face him, tangling her fingers in his raven black hair. Their mouths open, inviting the kiss to go further than expected. The pair shares an open mouthed makeout session until Brianna makes the first move. Her fingers drop down to the button's on Josh's shirt. She fumbles with them for a while until she successfully pushes the fabric over Josh's shoulders, never once breaking the kiss. Josh is shocked at how forward Brianna is being, but he knows she aches for more by the way she kisses him. Now it's his hands that drop to the hem of Brianna's mint green sweater. The couple breaks apart only to pull the sweater over her head. They resume with their sloppy kisses as Brianna's hands wander down to Josh's belt buckle. Just like the buttons, she fumbles with the buckle for a while, earning a smile from Josh. She yanks Josh's jeans down off of his legs, leaning forward on top of him. Brianna reaches over, moving her hair to one side as she leans down, catching his lips with hers once again. Josh trails his hands down to her waist, just above the hem of her legs. He breaks the kiss for a second, gazing into her eyes and silently asking her for permission. Brianna nods, biting her lip in excitement. He peels the black leggings off of her legs with a laugh, tossing them across the room. Brianna smiles down at him with love in her eyes. Josh reaches up, effortlessly reaching around her back and unhooking her bra. She tosses it to join her leggings. 

"You're beautiful." he breathes, gazing into her eyes the way every woman wishes to be admired. 

Brianna feels a deep red fill her cheeks, and before she knows it, she is lying on her back. She squeals in shock, then giggles when she realizes Josh on top of her. The pair engulf themselves in another passionate, heated kiss when Brianna's hand travels to the waistband of Josh's boxers. Josh allows her to pull them down an inch or two before he stops her hand, breaking away from the kiss. 

"What is it?" Brianna asks with an obvious pout on her face. 

"Nothing. You're perfect, God you're so perfect-I just." 

"You just what?" she shifts slightly under him. 

"I don't want to ruin this-whatever we have with something you may end up regretting. I mean, look at our current situation-" 

"We have a bed this time." Brianna tries to reason. 

"I want to do this, believe me I do. I just want to wait until we get out of here." Josh smiles softly, moving his hand to gently brush against her cheek. 

Brianna sighs, giving up. She nods at him with an understanding smile. He smiles back at her before leaning down to give her a light peck on the lips. 

"I promise you, I will get you out of here." he whispers before rolling off of her body. 

"I need to tell you something." she blurts out. 

She has to tell him about David, especially after what just happened. 

"Anything." he smiles, handing her the bra that had been discarded from her body only moments ago. 

She takes it, clipping it back onto her body. 

"Do you remember three days ago when David beat you up?" she hesitantly asks. 

Josh nods. 

"Before that he was in here, with me. He was yelling at me and I was talking back to him and one thing led to another and I-" she breaks off in mid sentence, "I kissed him." 

Josh's eyes go wide. 

Tears linger in the corners of Brianna's eyes as she continues, "It wasn't forced. It was me, I kissed him. He kissed me back. At first I was going to distract him long enough to steal his gun but, then I just-I-I don't know. Things got pretty heated, but I stopped him before he went too far." 

Josh sits up, facing away from Brianna. He doesn't say a word. His silence is deafening. 

"I know it was wrong. When I realized what I was doing-an-and with whom..I could never forgive myself-I can't. What I did is wrong and immoral and goes against everything I believe in."

"Oh really?" he asks quietly, avoiding her gaze, "Which part? The part where you almost slept with your kidnapper, or the part where you hurt me in the process."

"He gave me this." Brianna sighs, moving her long blonde locks away from the right side of her neck. 

"He marked you too, huh? And you let him." Josh mumbles in betrayal. 

Brianna can't take any more of his harsh words.

"I'm sorry." she chokes back the tears. 

Without another word, she grabs her clothes and runs into the bathroom, locking herself inside. She doesn't blame Josh for hating her. She blames herself. All of this is her own fault. Her lips tremble as she slides down against the wall with her hands in her hair. Then, she cries. She sobs and sobs in her very own little ball of misery.

Anna sighs as she stares blankly up at her bedroom ceiling. It has been six days since the police station. She had given the police all of the information she has on Eddie and the house, but it had not been enough. The police had spent countless hours searching and searching for the presumably invisible house, but found nothing but forest. The address that Eddie had left for Alex's father had also proved to be non-existent. With that being said, the authorities had very little to go off of, making rescuing Josh and Brianna nearly impossible. 

She can hear every little sound echo off of her vacant grey walls. From the calming music of birds gleefully chirping, to the trees rustling in the wind, to the engine of her neighbour's ancient car, and finally the disquieting roar of her parents arguing beneath her bedroom. Her eyes slowly flutter open as she sits up on her bed. She swings her legs over the side of the bed and walks over to her window, dragging her feet with every step. Her head hangs low as she attempts to drown out the ruckus that she has grown to know so well. She gazes up and it is as if she has been transported to another world. She peers up at the sky and is speechless. It is like a cloudless diamond, clear and shining, no dents or scratches, just a beautiful kaleidoscope of blues.

As her gaze drifts downward, she realizes that maybe life is like the sky, beautiful and pure at times, but also grey and sad. Life is a kaleidoscope too. It is a kaleidoscope of sweet dreams and gruesome nightmares. She glances to her right, just in time to see a butterfly land on her windowsill. She smiles at the small, frail creature. It's wings can hold a thousand stories, each with their own message buried deep within them. Her mouth gapes open slight as the butterfly flaps it's wings, flying away into the abyss. She smiles to herself. If only everyone could be free. If only everyone could experience the same exhilarating freedom as the tiny creature.

But they can. 

Because, unlike the sky, we have the ability to change our own fate. To eventually fly away and be free, just like the little butterfly. Independence is important in this life. It is valuable in it's own unique way. 

As Anna takes once last glimpse at the life surrounding her, she knows what she must do. She spins on her heels before making her way to her closet, grabbing a jacket off of the rack and tugging it tightly onto her body. Now, her head is held high as she walks, her feet no longer dragging. She grips her door knob with no visible sign of hesitation, swinging the door open and rushing downstairs. Her parents pause their heated conversation and glance at their daughter in confusion. 

"Where are you going?" her mother calls out. 

"I have to visit a friend." Anna replies. 

She grabs her car keys and heads out the front door before her parents can say another word. She has been inspired and there is no stopping her.


	18. Haunted

Brianna wakes up still curled up in the same ball of misery as she must have fallen asleep in the day before. The silence she surrounds herself in is deafening to her. How could she let all of this happen? She collects herself. With shaky legs, she stands up, using the door knob as support. Her mind swims in a sea of emotions, causing her to feel overwhelmingly distracted and dizzy. Her left hand searches for her forehead as she closes her eyes. She holds her head in tremendous pain. Brianna imagines for a moment that she is in hell. Maybe an eternity of misery and pain is exactly what she deserves. As she opens her eyes, her vision adjusts, focusing on the wooden door in front of her. She places a trembling hand on the door, afraid of what lies on the other side.

"I am pure." she reminds herself, "My soul is pure. My heart is pure. My mind is corrupted." 

She drops her hand back down to her side, turning to face her reflection in the mirror. 

"My lips are filthy. My body is weak. My neck is stained in disease. My desire for him is forbidden and sick. I am sick. This place is making me sick."

Brianna takes a deep breath, gripping the doorknob. She swings the door open slowly, afraid to see the light. The light that might blind her. 

Josh sits alone at the opposite end of the room. Nothing left to love and hold. His hope has completely drained away. The woman who had brought him comfort has feelings for another. He has no words to say to her. Still when he glances over at her broken condition, he can't help but want to hold and comfort her. He knows he shouldn't, that it wouldn't help to solve anything, but he wants to. Because seeing her in pain is like a sword to the chest for him. Maybe he should forgive her. After all, she wasn't thinking straight. He knows better than anyone, that being alone in this brutal solitude is enough to drive anyone crazy. He bites his lip, fixing his gaze on the wall in front of him. The sight of her is too much, too overwhelming for him to bear. As he hears the light pitter patter of her gentle footsteps, he fixes his gaze to watch her from the corner of his eye. He watches silently as she walks over to the bed, tangling herself in the messy sheets. Her blank expression suggests that she wishes to be alone. 

The tension in the atmosphere stays this way for days. The two would occasionally shift positions to use the bathroom, sleep and eat. Being silent for days on end has been hard on them both, but the hardest has yet to come. Josh is scribbling down words on a blank piece of paper while Brianna is preoccupied in another book when the door swings open. This isn't unusual at all. Twice a day, Alex or Caroline would deliver food for them to survive off of. What catches the pair off guard is the face of the man they had each hoped never to see again. 

Their eyes scan the man from foot to head, desperately trying to grasp onto reality. Brianna had envisioned this moment more times than she can count, she dreads what happens next. 

The man walks over to Brianna in comfort, no hesitation at all. A sense of confidence and calmness radiates from his body, some of which engulfing Brianna. She sets down her book and gazes up at him. Her eyes carefully study every bump, curve and blemish on his skin. His lips are soft and pink, just as she remembers. Finally, her eyes meet his. It is almost as if she was stuck in a trance, the way her body refused to move. She feels Josh's harsh stare scanning the two, still she can't bring herself to look away. His eyes must have gotten bluer since their last encounter. 

"How are you?" the man finally asks. 

His deep voice sends a shiver up her spine. Her breath quickens as she licks her dry lips. He is really there in front of her, in the flesh. His sudden presence can only mean one thing, the one thing Brianna has been dreading ever since she arrived. 

"Today's the big day." he smiles at her, accepting her will to stay silent. 

The four words are enough to grab Josh's full attention. A man can be mad at the woman whom he loves, but he wouldn't wish brutality upon her. She made a mistake, she can be forgiven. 

"Please," David smiles his perfect wicked smile, "Come with me." 

David gently grasps Brianna's hand, leading her off of the bed and towards the door. Her knees are wobbly and her heart is pounding so hard that she's afraid it's going to break her chest. She knows that she is not pregnant. 

He knows too. 

They both know what will happen to her once the test result comes back negative. Brianna is terrified, Josh refuses to force himself on an innocent, unwilling woman. His love for her is no excuse to be violent. Love should be true and kind. Completely trustworthy. If a few sacrifices have to be made now and then, so be it. 

Josh watches in awe as she advances towards the door. Finally, he gains the courage to speak. 

"Stop." he mumbles. 

His order comes out as a mere whimper, his voice cracked and dry. Although, it is enough to catch David's attention. He stops in his footsteps, turning his head to glare at the musician. He stares long and hard, doing his best to make Josh feel uncomfortable. David is superior to him; an arrogant high school dropout. Hell, David has enough money and power to wipe Josh off of the face of the planet, but that isn't his goal. Every master plan needs one simple thing, logic. Fail to use logic, the plan is useless. As much as he hates to admit it, David needs Josh for his plan to be successful. 

"Look at you." David taunts, "All curled up and sulking. Why, with this beautiful woman here to keep you company, you would think you would take advantage. You love her, don't you? Something tells me that you haven't even so much as said a word to her these past few days. And when she needs you most? Shame on you. You'd ought to treat her as royalty. After all, this woman begged and pleaded for your company only a few days ago. She's the only reason why you are no longer living in filth. Brilliant young woman, she is. Every aspect of her being is truly fascinating."

David is well aware of what he is doing as he brings a hand up to Brianna's waist, pulling her in closer. The space between their bodies is thin. She gasps at the sudden gesture. "Every curve." he whispers running a hand up her body. "Every centimetre of smooth, milky white skin." His gentle hands caress her back, stopping at her shoulders. Brianna closes her eyes. "Every man made mark." he smirks before leaning in, placing a gentle kiss on the tinted skin. Brianna shudders in both pleasure and freight. "Her hair; golden strands that bounce as she moves." he smiles, brushing her hair from her face, stopping to play with the ends for a brief moment. "Her cheeks; soft and fragile." His gentle touch is ghostly to her, she is haunted by every movement. "Her oh so perfect eyes; bright blue when angry, icy when pleasured." he smirks at the last word. "And finally, her soft, plump, pink lips." he runs his thumb slowly over her bottom lip, "Gentle lips that a man could kiss for hours on end." 

Josh is infuriated as he watches his kidnapper caress every aspect about Brianna that he has grown to love. Brianna's breath grows low as her eyes slowly open to face David. Her lips part slightly. She knows that this is wrong; the excitement that he brings her, but she can't help herself. Still, she can't help but feel disappointed as he pulls away from her. 

"You claim to love this woman. You claim that you would do anything for her. Yet you sit there, you sit and wait for the pain. You grow apart." 

Josh is taken back by David's harsh words. Though he may be a complete psychopath, he has a point. He speaks as soft as velvet, perfectly capable of manipulating anyone with his verbal poetry. Josh takes in a deep breath, glancing over at Brianna for a brief moment. As their eyes meet, she quickly turns away from him, ashamed of herself.

"You can sulk and pout all you want, my friend. It isn't going to change a thing."

At that instant, a surge of pure adrenaline surges over Josh's body. 

"You're wrong." he sneers in complete confidence, standing up to his feet, "The woman you speak of, you touch as if she were yours, she's smart. She's hauntingly beautiful, yes, but she belongs to no one but herself. You have forced her to bear my child, the least you can do is let me come with you."

"Why the hell would I allow you to accompany us?" David scoffs. 

"Because it's my child." Josh exclaims, "You may have forced us together, but the child she bears is mine. You have already taken so much from me. You stole the girl I love and corrupted her with your filthy touch. I deserve to be there. I have a right to be there." 

"Very well. No use in arguing over something so foolish." David sighs, "Come on then."

Brianna's head hangs low as the three walk through the dimly light hallway. She is humiliated by the way David caressed her skin, utterly ashamed by her inappropriate behaviour. Josh's eyes are everywhere but her. He can't stand to see her, not right now. To the pair, the lengthy corridor seemed to stretch on, swallowing them. The broken down, musty aura the walls emit reminds Brianna of several horror movies she has seen. She questions whether she will ever be able to see another film for the rest of her miserable life. Will she ever be able to go out, have a fun night on the town with her friends? She imagines the smile on her lips as she flirts with an innocent employee, or perhaps a promising stranger. She remembers the taste of butter on her tongue, the delicious popcorn from the concession stands had always been her favourite part. Brianna visualizes the way some rude elders yell at her and her friends to keep it down. The faintest smile crosses her lips. She misses that. She misses her friends, her family. She detests the cruel reality that death looms over her head with every day she spends in David's mysterious revolution. The memories of her personal life haunt her, mocking her current lack of freedom.

"Here we are." David announces, snapping Brianna away from her thoughts and thrusting her back into reality.

Brianna takes in a deep breath, desperately trying to calm herself down. 

"I trust you already know what to do?" David asks, handing Brianna a small box. 

Brianna nods. 

"Good." David nods back, "I trust you two are smart enough not to try anything. If you cooperate, I assure you that everything will be fine. Well go on then, I'll be waiting right here." 

With an abrupt, soft sigh, Brianna steps through the doorway, Josh follows close behind her. He shuts the door behind her, finally turning to face her for the first time in days. Brianna's eyes flicker to the floor. Her knees feel weak, about to give out at any second. 

"Nice act back there." 

"It wasn't entirely an act." Josh sighs. 

"I'm sorry." Brianna whispers, eyes still locked on the ground, "I know that won't fix anything, but I needed you to hear it. You don't need to forgive me, I don't deserve your forgiveness, but-" 

"Brianna." Josh whispers back, "We need to focus on the task at hand." 

Brianna gulps. Josh's response is exactly what she had been afraid of, exactly what she didn't want to hear. Still, she holds herself together, holds back the tears that would cause her to completely break down in front of him. 

"What do I do?" Brianna whispers to him, finally bringing her swollen eyes up to meet his pools of blue. 

"Well.." Josh trails off. 

He brings a finger to his lips, reminding her that David is listening in. Then he points at her, shakes his finger and points down to her stomach. Brianna recognizes the motions as "you're not pregnant." Brianna nods. She is already well aware of her lack of pregnancy. Josh places his open hand out in front of her, gesturing for the pregnancy test. Brianna fumbles with the box with shaky hands. Finally, she opens the box, pulling out a single pregnancy test and handing it to Josh. She jumps slightly when their hands make contact. Josh ignores the skin-on-skin contact, taking the test from Brianna and walking over to the sink. 

"All done?" Josh asks loudly, obviously intending for David to hear him.

Brianna catches on quickly, "Yeah..just let me watch my hands." 

Josh turns the knob on the sink. He waits for a moment before placing the pregnancy test under the running water. Brianna watches him carefully, a million thoughts running through her head. When the test comes back negative, what will her consequences be? Will David just off her like some disease ridden animal, or force her to breed with Josh again? After what happened with David, Brianna knows that Josh would never touch her like he used to ever again. To him, she was probably just another desperate slut. 

"We're getting out of here." Josh whispers softly as the water continues to run. 

Brianna peers up at him with wide eyes. 

"What?" she questions him in complete astonishment, "How the hell are we gonna-"

"I'll let you know when I find out." Josh replies quickly, "We have as long as it takes for the test to figure out that you aren't pregnant to do so. Now, It would probably be wise for us to start talking about your pregnancy, considering the second I turn off the water, David will be able to hear us crystal clear again."

Brianna gulps. nodding as Josh turns off the running water. 

"Josh, I'm scared." she blurts out, half for show, but also half serious. 

"I know. But just think of the beautiful baby that you will make. Any child would be lucky to have you as a mother." 

Brianna is unable to decipher whether Josh was being sincere, so she plays along. 

"I'm not ready for this, not under these circumstance-" she sniffles, only to be cut off by the door swinging open. 

"Do we have the results yet?" David asks.

"No. It's only been a minute." Josh retorts, gently tugging Brianna to stand behind him.

"What's this?" David laughs, "You've decided to protect her again? Even after she had her sweet lips on mine? Impressive. You don't give up easily, I'll give you that much."

"Quit talking about her like she's some street side hooker. Can't you see that she's terrified? You've turned her into a broken shell. And for what? Some stupid revolution? No human being deserves the treatment that you're giving her. The sickest part about all of this is the fact that you believe what you are doing is right." Josh sneers at him.

Judging by his posture and tone of voice, Josh was through listening to what David has to say. He can't stand that bastard speaking about Brianna as if she was just his little play toy. Brianna stays hidden behind Josh's body. Her own body is frozen, afraid to speak or move because it might upset David. 

"Listen to me, boy." David's voice turns deep and menacing, "You have no value to me. I can dispose of you whenever I please-" 

Brianna pushes past Josh. She's done playing games. In a few minutes, David will learn that Brianna isn't pregnant. It all goes down hill from there anyways, she's got nothing to lose. At least she'll go out fighting.

"You're not going to touch him." Brianna sneers at David. 

"And why the hell not?" David asks her, meeting her eyes. 

"Because if you do." Brianna stares up directly into her eyes. If looks could kill he would've dropped dead by now, "I will kill you myself."


	19. Seeing Red

"Anna?" a voice echos, "Anna honey?"  
  
Anna drowsily opens her eyes. All she can see is white.   
  
"She's waking up." she hears a faint voice exclaim, "Anna try to relax."  
  
"Their time is near, closing in like walls. It'll suffocate them if we aren't quick. The blood is red. It's just so red-"  
  
A doctor in white examines her behaviour closely.

"We need to restrain her wrists before she hurts herself." he instructs a short brunette standing beside him.   
  
"There's red on his chest! So much red!" she screams, getting restless.  
  
Anna's father stands devastated beside her bed as the nurse struggles to restrain his daughter's wrists. Tears flood the corners of his eyes and he feels nauseous. Anna's eyes direct their attention to the ceiling.   
  
"Do you see it? The forest with the trees? Oh daddy, they're so beautiful! The branches are swaying in the nice cool breeze, but the house is ugly. The floor is covered in blood and salt. Why would someone do that?"   
  
Her speech is slurred and uneven. The doctor sighs, pulling Anna's father aside.   
  
"Has Anna been exposed to a traumatic experience?" he asks.  
  
"She was kidnapped." Anna's father replies, nearly in tears.   
  
"Sometimes when people are exposed to a traumatic event, they are often overwhelmed by things like stress and go into an emotional state of shock. However, your daughter is basically in denial of what happened to her, so she chooses to block out the memories. She appears to be fading in and out of reality, speaking about some house surrounded by a forest. From what I can tell so far, your daughter may have post traumatic stress disorder, which can lead to schizophrenia if not treated. Has she spoken with you about the kidnapping?"   
  
"No. She refuses to speak about it."   
  
"Have there been any signs of isolation, nightmares, loss of appetite, increased irritability, anxiety or fear?"   
  
"No. She has left the house and seemed to have been sleeping fine. Now that you mention it, her eating patterns have been off ever since she got back."  
  
"I'll have to run a few tests and keep her here overnight. As soon as we figure out your daughter's condition, you'll be the first to know." the doctor smiles at him reassuringly. 

_*************************************A FEW DAYS EARLIER*********************************_

Anna grabs her car keys and heads out the front door before her parents can say another word. She has been inspired and there is no stopping her. She drives for a few minutes, confident as ever for once in her life.   
  
Katy paces around Matt's living room in confusion.   
  
"I don't understand. We were so close to find them. We have Anna and everything. Why couldn't they find one damn house?" she rants.  
  
"It's okay. We'll find them." Matt sighs, gently grabbing onto Katy's shoulders, "All we can do for now is wait."   
  
"I just don't want to turn on the TV one day to see the headline as  _'Blonde girl found dead and brutally mutilated in a ditch.'_ I just think about what they could be doing to her and it scares the crap out of me. I want my best friend back."   
  
"I know exactly what you mean. Josh and I have been friends since high school."   
  
"I'm just so scared, Matt." Katy's voice finally breaks.  
  
She gazes up at him with wet eyes. Matt opens his arms, pulling her in close.  
  
"I know." he whispers into her hair, gently stroking it. 

Her soft sobs are muffled by his shirt as the pair stand silently comforting each other. The harsh reality that the chances of Brianna and Josh returning unharmed are dangerously slim  is too much for them to bear. Neither say a word, afraid of what will happen if they were to break the comfortable silence. Matt rubs her back gently as a single tear cascades down his cheek, falling onto the ground beneath their feet. He has been staying strong, put together for Katy. She's already worried enough, and without a doubt is in need of a shoulder to cry on, a man who will hold and comfort her. Matt wants to be that man. Though his mind is belting out for answers, closure to this entire fiasco, he holds it together, for  _her.  
  
_ The silence is broken by a sudden knock at the door. Matt unwillingly releases Katy from his gentle embrace, discreetly wiping his face to erase any indication that he had been crying. He gently kisses her forehead with a small smile. Finally, he turns towards the door, gripping the knob and pulling the door open wide to reveal Anna.  
  
Before Matt or Katy can get a word in, Anna steps through the door frame.   
  
"What are we doing?" she asks in disbelief, "I'll tell you what we're doing, we're sitting here on our asses like a couple of idiots just waiting for answers."   
  
Katy stares at Anna in shock. Her eyebrows furrow in anger.   
  
"Oh I'm sorry, would you like me to dress up like some cheap slut and get myself kidnapped?" Katy retorts.   
  
Matt is shocked to hear such vile words come from her.   
  
"Katy.." he warns.   
  
Katy ignores him, her eyes never leaving Anna.  
  
"You're acting as if they're already dead!" she scoffs, ignoring Katy's harsh words, "You can't mourn someone who hasn't died yet."  
  
"What makes you think they aren't?" Katy asks in rage.  
  
"Look, I was kidnapped too, and yes, one of our so-called cell mates was brutally murdered, yes I had to shoot him in the head to end his suffering but-"  
  
"Is this supposed to help? Reassure us that our friends are safe? Do yourself a favour and don't invest in psychology as a future career." Katy raises her voice, taking a step towards the girl.  
  
"BUT your friends are still alive. Eddie hated Josh with a burning passion. Everytime he looked at him you could tell he wanted to shoot him...but he clearly couldn't. When he murdered Blake, our other cell mate, he didn't even flinch. He made his death slow and mutilated him to a point of no return. Don't you think that first chance he got, Eddie would do the same-hell maybe even worse to Josh? Eddie is one sick, demented, messed up man, so why wouldn't he kill him? I'll tell you why, he's not allowed to."   
  
Katy bites her lip in concentration. Matt furrows his eyebrows together, deeply concentrated on her words. Matt had made his way over to Katy while Anna was explaining.  
  
"So what you're saying is-" Matt starts.   
  
"Eddie isn't the one in charge." Katy finishes.   
  
"Exactly." Anna smiles, "That's why when Eddie got his hands on your friend Britney-"  
  
"Brianna." Katy corrects her.  
  
"Right, Brianna..the first thing he asked for was Josh. He sent Alex after me, tried to get rid of me. Why would he do that?"  
  
"He doesn't want any loose ends." Matt adds.  
  
"Ding ding ding, we have a winner!" Anna explains, "So if Eddie isn't the big man in charge, who is?"   
  
Katy tilts her head in confusion.  
  
"Alex seemed to have more power over him, but why would a young man with a potential future get involved? Some may say he's sick, but he isn't."  
  
"How could you possibly know-" Katy starts, only to be cut off by Anna.  
  
"That isn't important." Anna says quickly, "Before I came over here, I did a little detective work. Started out with his full name, looked for any possible connections. That was a bust, his birth father is somewhere in Los Angeles livin' it up, no birth mother was listed. What I did find out is that Alex has an uncle who goes by the name of David Beaumont. So I did some research. That guy is squeaky clean. Well-known respectable man with money. So again, I had hit a brick wall."  
  
"Does this story have a conclusion anytime soon?" Katy cuts in once again.  
  
"Would you just let me finish?" Anna glares at Katy.   
  
Katy raises her hands up in defense.   
  
"He was  _too_  clean. So I looked into some of the properties he owns. Guess who owns a farmhouse out in the middle of nowhere as well as the first house they found after Brianna escaped?"   
  
"David Beaumont." Matt responds, slowing piecing things together.  
  
"No, actually." Anna laughs, "Some guy who goes by the name of Xavier Cromwell, but you tried."  
  
"Why does that name sound so familiar?" Katy asks Matt.  
  
Matt opens his mouth to respond, only to be cut off by Anna once again.

"Maybe because Xavier Cromwell is the alias Alex used to try to convince the cops that I was some schizophrenic nut job."  
  
 _ **(QUICK A/N THAT LAST STATEMENT IS NOT INTENDED TO BE OFFENSIVE, IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT ANNA'S CHARACTER WOULD**_ **SAY)** **  
  
**"Okay..? So all that and the trail led back to Alex?" Katy asks.  
  
"Alex has got to get the money from somewhere. Or maybe David's alias is Xavier Cromwell, and he gave it to his adopted son, or nephew, to use. And yes, before you go questioning my theory, David Beaumont is Alex's adoptive father."   
  
"Alright so we have this information, that's great, what now?" Matt asks, raising an eyebrow.   
  
"I think that if I revisit the forest near the house, I may be able to retrace my steps and find it." Anna suggests.

"Are you sure you want to go back there? What if you get taken again? You know what these people are capable of better than anyone. Are you sure you want to take the risk?" Matt asks out of genuine concern for the girl.  
  
"Hey, look, I'm not an idiot." Anna laughs, "We can go during broad daylight and keep out of sight. We-"  
  
"Did you just say we?" Matt scoffs in amusement.  
  
For once, Katy is the one who stays silent.   
  
"Well..yeah? I-"  
  
"There is no way in hell that I am going to risk Katy being taken-"  
  
"Matt, it's okay." Katy soothes him, gazing into his eyes, "I can take care of myself. Besides, she's right. We can't just sit here and wait for answers."  
  
Matt sighs, unable to argue with such a gentle face.   
  
"You two done making moon eyes at each other? You look like you're ready to eat each other's faces. I'm gonna puke." Anna interrupts, "Tomorrow we gather our supplies, map out the area, charge our phones, go over our plan. The day after that we head out."  
  
"Why is this starting to sound like some sort of top secret mission?" Katy asks, a little peeved that Anna had the nerve to interrupt her moment with Matt.  
  
"Well because it is. We can't tell anyone about this."   
  
"Not even the cops?" Matt asks.  
  
" _Especially_  not the cops. There's no way in hell that they would let us involve ourselves in the investigation."   
  
Matt nods slowly. A part of him still thinks that getting involved is a bad idea, but he trusts Katy. Katy, on the other hand, is secretly thrilled. She is sick and tired of sitting around and waiting for the inevitable. She wants to go out and help.   
  
"Alright." Anna exclaims, clapping her hands together after a long pause, "We meet here tomorrow at noon. And for the love of God, please prioritize your time, so I don't walk in on you two getting it on. See you then."   
  
With the shut of the door, she is gone.   
  
"Sir yes, sir." Katy mumbles sarcastically, uncrossing her arms.   
  
Matt chuckles.   
  
"Well that was certainly...something."  
  
Hey, if this is going to help us find Brianna and Josh I'm all game, but if I have to hear one more smart-ass remark about me sucking my boyfriend's face off then-"  
  
Katy stops mid sentence. Her cheeks flush a bright red.   
  
"Boyfriend huh?" Matt raises an eyebrow at her. 

"Yeah, well I-" Katy hesitates to collect her thoughts, "We've kissed, a-and you've always been there when I needed you, and I really like you-"   
  
"Katy." Matt laughs, "Will you be my girlfriend?"   
  
Katy stares at Matt in shock for a moment. When she gathers herself together, she playfully hits Matt on the chest.  
  
"You ass! How long were you planning to have me ramble on like an idiot!" Katy yells at him.   
  
"You're cute when you ramble!" Matt chuckles.  
  
Katy squints her eyes at him.   
  
"Is that a yes?" he laughs.   
  
"Nope." Katy exclaims.   
  
"Oh really?" Matt smirks, raising an eyebrow at her.   
  
"Mmm hmm." she smiles, taking a step towards him, "But this is."   
  
Matt smiles as Katy's lips engulf his for a long, passionate kiss.  
  
  
***  
  
  
The following day is hectic for the three. Matt is given the job of heading out to the store to buy a map of the area. Lucky for them, a small, secluded corner store about a mile from the forest sold maps of the area. Although the map was heavily focused on a hiking trail that ran through the forest, it still gave them a clear visual of the entire forest. Matt picked up three copies, one for each of them to use for guidance. Katy's job is to purchase three walkie talkies, back up in case something were to happen to their cell phones. Matt, in particular, was quite enthusiastic about the walkie talkies. He suggests cool code names like  _viper_  and  _cheetah_ , but is immediately shot down by both girls. Anna had refused to tell the others about what she was doing. After much debate, they agree to trust her word for it.   
  
Around four in the afternoon, the gang meets back up at Matt's apartment. Katy and Matt distribute their items before Anna. After reviewing the maps and lining up the walkie talkies, Anna reveals a large, black duffel bag. Matt and Katy eye the large bag suspiciously.   
  
"And just for insurance.." Anna trails off, unzipping the duffel bag.   
  
Both Matt and Katy's eyes widen in shock as they stare at several items encompassed by the suspicious bag.   
  
"Where the hell did you get all of this? Rob the police department?" Katy exclaims in terror.   
  
The bag holds three .40 calibers, three hunting knives and tonnes of ammo to go around. Anna smiles, reaching down into the duffel to pull out one of the guns. Katy's eyes stay fixated on the weapon as Anna effortlessly loads it. It is almost as if she has done this a thousand times.   
  
"Oh don't get your knickers in a twist, they're my dads." Anna explains.   
  
"Oh okay. You stole three deadly weapons from your father. No biggie or anything. Are we planning a mass murder now?" Katy yells at her.  
  
"Katy.." Matt trails off trying to soothe her.   
  
Katy snaps her head to face Matt. A harsh glare from her causes Matt to back away, giving her some space.   
  
"This is not okay!" she yells in anger.  
  
"Easy tiger." Anna laughs, "They're for self defense, not mass murder."   
  
"Oh? If three deadly weapons are only self defense, what the bloody hell is with the knives?" Katy retorts.   
  
"I already told you, insurance. You don't know what these people, if you want to give them the luxury of calling them that, are capable of! I damn well do. So why don't you take a seat and shut your big, annoying trap?" Anna yells back at her.   
  
"Me? Me shut  _MY_  trap? Hahaha that's _RICH."_ Katy sarcastically laughs, "I can barely get in a sentence around you without getting cut o-"  
  
"That's completely ridiculous!" Anna defends herself.  
  
"See what I mean?"   
  
Girls.." Matt trails off nervously.   
  
"Unbelievable." Anna sighs, "I'm trying to help you, and all you're giving me is crap about-"  
  
"Girls.."  
  
"In case you've already forgotten, Matt and I were the ones who saved your pathetic little ass from being shipped off to the nuthouse!"   
  
"Girls!" Matt yells.  
  
"SHUT UP MATT!" the pair yells in unison.   
  
Matt raises his hands in self defense.   
  
"Fighting and name calling isn't going to solve anything." Matt attempts to reason with them, "Let's just take a breath and evaluate the situation."   
  
"Doe eyes has a point." Anna sighs.  
  
Katy glares at Anna. She contemplates calling Anna out for calling her boyfriend ' _doe eyes'_ , but decides against it.  
  
"I have to ask though, " Matt ponders, "how the hell did you get your hands on three hunting knives without raising any suspicion?"   
  
"What can I say, a pretty face and a flirty smile can work wonders." Anna smiles, almost as if she were proud of herself.  
  
Katy scoffs in annoyance. This time, Anna notices.   
  
"Look, I really did get all of this for protection. I know what these monsters are capable of, I've seen it with my own two eyes. Hell, I had to kill a man. I wouldn't wish that experience on my worst enemy. I stole the guns, and bought the knives, for insurance. Insurance for if one of us gets caught. I know what it feels like to feel absolutely helpless. It's terrifying. Degrading, even. I don't want that to happen again. Not to me, not to you, not to pretty boy over there. I know it must not seem like it, but I really do want to help. I'm not the enemy here. You can trust me. You saved my life for God sakes! I owe you that much." Anna explains, whole heartily.  
  
"Okay." Katy sighs, deciding to give her a fair chance, "Where do we start?"  
  
  
With Katy and Anna finally on the same terms, the rest of the day goes smoothly. After reviewing the plan, as well as distress signals, Anna spends the remainder of the night teaching Katy and Matt about guns. How to load them, how to turn the safety on and off, how to aim and of course, how to shoot. Unfortunately, there is no time, or space, for target practice.   
  
After a long, tiring day, the team heads their separate ways in desperate need of sleep, agreeing to meet back at Matt's apartment at 11:00am the following morning.   
  
***  
  
"Is everyone ready?" Anna asks.

The three converse in Matt's old truck parked a safe distance away from the forest. He hasn't used it in years, and had to pick it up from his parent's house, but it did the job.   
  
"We have our weapons hidden, phones and walkie talkies charged, and the maps." Katy lists off.  
  
"Sounds about right." Matt confirms.   
  
"Great. If one of those unlucky bastards catch us, they won't know what hit them." Anna smiles, "The sun will be out for a good 10 hours at the least, it's now or never."   
  
One by one, the three emerge from the old, battered truck.   
  
"Alright follow me. Remember, quiet voices, soft steps, avoid any cabins, no matter how friendly they may seem." Anna instructs, making her way into the forest clearing.   
  
Everything seems so much more lively and beautiful in the light, so unfamiliar. Retracing her steps may be more difficult than she thought.  
  
"Walkies are a last resort. We communicate through texts. We don't want the noise to give us away." she continues.   
  
Matt and Katy follow close behind, weary of every little noise created by the wildlife surrounding them. Matt lingers near Katy, afraid of never seeing her again.   
  
It's like this for hours. The shade from the trees above shield the three from harsh sun rays, but that doesn't prevent the sweat forming on their faces from the overwhelming amount of stress. Every so often they come across a squirrel nestled in the bushes. In any other circumstance, the aura of the forest is extremely relaxing, soothing even. It has one of those atmospheres where you can sit and read a book, paint a portrait of the breathtaking scenery, but they were on a mission, and there is no time for distractions.  
  
After a few more hours, they come across an old cabin. Anna is the first one to spot it, warns the others to stay out of sight. They take cover behind a nearby bush.   
  
"I don't get it, what's so bad about the cabin?" Matt whispers.  
  
"Haven't you ever seen Cabin in The Woods? Spoiler alert! It never ends well for us." Anna exclaims in a harsh whisper.  
  
Matt doesn't take Anna's words to heart. He's starting to get used to her sarcasm.   
  
Anna tries to map out the last night with Josh in her head. She glances around, looking for something, anything familiar to guide her back to the house. Nothing. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. Anna never wanted to resort to reliving past nightmares, but it seems to be her only option. Just like that, the night floods back to her in a rush.  
  
She's running in a straight line. Her arm is burning, her feet are a bloody mess. Still, she finds the strength to keep running. She runs through a clearing and up several wooden stairs. She pounds on the doorway in desperation, glancing back to make sure she isn't being tracked. 

  
Anna's eyes fly open. She glances back at the old wooden cabin.  
  
"This way." she whispers to the pair, "I remember running towards the front door. We should go around, stay out of sight."   
  
They nod in agreement, following close behind as Anna crouches behind any wildlife and works her way around to the other side of the forest clearing. When the cabin is finally out of visual range, Anna glances around. She remembers this place. This is where she and Josh had stopped to tend to her stab wound.   
  
"We're close." she informs the others, "Minutes, even."  
  
"I don't know whether to be thrilled or shaking in my fashionable, yet affordable boots." Katy jokes, attempting to lighten the mood.  
  
"Little bit of both." Matt adds.  
  
The three freeze dead in the tracks when they hear a voice nearby.   
  
"Stay here." Anna orders the others.  
  
Nobody argues with her.  
  
Anna stays low, quickly and carefully maneuvering her way throughout the forest. She avoids a few twigs and leaves, anything that will give away her current position. As she gets closer, she hears the familiar voice again.   
  
"Dad got you tending to that slut's needs again?" Alex asks.   
  
"Yeah. Look if Eddie asks-" a woman replies.   
  
"Don't worry, I've got you covered."   
  
"Thanks Alex, you're a life saver."   
  
Alex chuckles.   
  
Anna carefully peers over the bush. It's him alright. How could she forget his voice? Her eyes shift to the blonde. Caroline.   
  
"I heard you and the old man aren't talking?" she asks him.  
  
Alex rolls his eyes.  
  
"Yeah. He's just pissed that Anna got away." he scoffs in annoyance.  
  
"Didn't you two used to-"  
  
"Yeah. It's in the past. It doesn't need to be brought up." he snaps at her.  
  
"Woah, I didn't mean to get you all upset.." she apologizes.   
  
Her tone of voice is soft and gentle, like silk. It makes Anna want to vomit.  
  
"It's alright Caroline." he sighs, "I don't need sympathy. She's in the past. She's beneath me now."  
  
Anna grits her teeth in anger. Beneath him? She's beneath him now? He's the one who is beneath her! He will be soon enough when he rots in hell.  
  
She watches as the blonde gets into a car and drives off. Alex is left alone. He pulls a lighter out of his pocket, bringing a cigarette to his lips and lighting it. She had always warned the stupid bastard about smoking, but did he ever care to listen to her? No.    
  
Anna grips the .40 Caliber, aiming it directly at Alex's head.  
  
"Beneath you huh? We'll see who is beneath who in a few seconds. Say hi to satan for me." Anna sneers under her breath, gripping the trigger.  
  
"Smoking again?" a voice chimes in.   
  
Eddie.   
  
"What do you care?" Alex sneers.  
  
"Your father wants you to go up to the cabin, deliever this note to Frank." he explains.  
  
"Whatever." Alex scoffs, throwing his cigarette on the ground an stomping on it.   
  
Anna's eyes widen as she lowers the gun.   
  
"Shit!" she breathes as Alex makes his way towards the forest clearing.   
  
She scampers through the forest, making her way back to the others as quickly as possible. She is relieved to find Katy and Matt exactly where she left them.   
  
"We have to go. NOW." she panics.   
  
"What happened?!" Katy asks in a hushed whisper.  
  
"Alex is coming. His father wants to deliver some note to a man named Frank in the cabin. If they catch us now, we're screwed. Follow me and don't look back." Anna speaks quickly, there's no time to spare.   
  
The others agree and keep up with Anna as best as they can. Anna is light on her feet, quick and stealthy. When the three reach a visual view of the cabin, they take extra precautions.   
  
After kilometres of heavy running, the three finally reach Matt's old, beat up truck. Their breathing is staggered and heavy, but no one says a word as they pile into the truck and begin to speed away from the forest.  
  
"Close call." Matt breathes, focusing on the road ahead of him.  
  
"Way too close." Anna adds.   
  
"What the hell happened back there?" Katy asks.   
  
"I found the house. I know exactly where it is. Alex was there, speaking with Eddie. I was right about David adopting Alex. He's clearly the one in charge here."   
  
"What next?" Matt asks.  
  
"We go to the police. Take them to the house."   
  
"How will we remember where it is?" Katy asks.  
  
"We retrace our steps. We go to the cabin. Then to the bush. Then about 50 feet straight and-"  
  
"Oh my god!" Katy screams, "Matt! MATT PULL OVER! SHE'S UNCONSCIOUS!"  
  
Matt brings the truck to a screeching halt.   
  
"I'm going to get in the back seat and try to wake her up. We're still too close to the forest. You need to keep driving!" Katy orders Matt.  
  
Matt is hesitant, but obeys.   
  
Katy jumps out of the truck, swinging the back door open and hopping in. When she has the door shut, she yells at Matt to drive.   
  
"Holy crap, she's burning up!" Katy yells in fear, "Anna? Anna wake up!"   
  
Katy takes a deep breath to calm herself down. Her hands are shaking.   
  
"Take us back to your apartment."   
  
"Are you sure? She might need medical treatment an-"  
  
"Matt! Trust me!" she pleads.   
  
Matt does trust her.   
  
  
He drives back to his apartment, assisting Katy with Anna's unconscious body. When they get inside, Katy lays Anna down on Matt's couch. She tells Matt to bring her a towel soaked with cold water. After a few minutes, Anna's fever seems to cool down. Katy sighs with relief when Anna's eyes fly open. Anna glances around at the familiar faces.   
  
"Anna thank God! We were in the car and you passed out!" Katy exclaims, "I didn't want to bring you to a hospital because that's the first place they would look-"   
  
"You did the right thing. Thank you." Anna smiles at them.  
  
She begins to sit up, when Katy stops her.  
  
"What are you doing?" she demands.  
  
"I have to get going, it's really late. My parents are going to have a fit, maybe even issue out a missing persons report if I don't get home." she laughs, standing up.  
  
"Are you sure? You just passed out." Matt states.  
  
"Yeah. I'll be fine." Anna reassures them.   
  
"We'll drive you home. You can't drive after that." Katy reasons.   
  
"Okay." Anna gives in, "Thank you, really."   
  
"It's no problem at all. We should be the ones thanking you. Our friends should be safe in no time at all." Katy smiles at her.   
  
Matt and Katy drive Anna home silently. Everyone is exhausted from the day's thrilling, yet horrifying, events. Her parents are relieved to see her alive and well.Anna goes straight to bed. That night she wakes up screaming. The nightmares have returned, stronger than ever this time. She spends hours on end frantically tossing and turning. A thin layer of sweat mattes her forehead as she desperately tries to fall back asleep. When she finally does, she manages to make it through the rest of the night.  _But she doesn't wake up that morning.  
  
  
  
********************************************PRESENT TIME******************************************  
  
_"How is she?" Katy asks the doctor.   
  
 The doctor tells her the same thing he had explained to Anna's father.   
  
"Katy?" Anna croaks, still in the midst of waking up.   
  
Katy is immediately by her side.   
  
"Anna? Hey, take it easy." she softly coos.   
  
Anna eyes finally focus on Katy.   
  
"You need to tell them." Anna urges, "Before the red-oh God Katy there's so much red!"   
  
"What?" she asks lightly.  
  
"They-they're in danger! You need to bring them there fast! It'll be too late! Go! Now! Hurry before it's too late!" she yells in horror.   
  
Katty glances over at Matt with wide eyes. The doctor sighs.  
  
"She has been at this for a while, muttering things about seeing red and some house surrounded by trees. It's alright. Once we get her back on her medication, she will be fine." he reassures them.  
  
"50 feet straight from the bush! That's where the red is! Oh God..hurry! You don't have much time!" Anna yells louder, sitting upright this time.   
  
"Shh honey, it's alright. You're safe now." the doctor soothes her, gently guiding her body back down to the mattress.  
  
Anna shakes in fear. Her wrists battle the restraints and a single tear slides down her cheek.   
  
"Hurry." she whispers, "He doesn't have much time."   
  
Katy nods, grabbing Matt's hand and tugging him aside.   
  
"We have to get to the police, take them to the house." Katy explains.  
  
"What? Katy she's in a mental hospital, she's delirious." Matt whispers back softly.   
  
"Matt, she sn't crazy. She's terrified. We need to be sure. I'm not taking any chances." Katy explains, her eyes meeting his.   
  
"Katy.." Matt trails off.  
  
"Look, if you don't want to do this, it won't change my feelings for you." she reassures him in a gentle voice, "But I'm going to do this, with or without you."  
  
With that, Katy spins on her heel towards the doorway. Matt gently catches her wrist with his hand. She gazes up at him, more than willing to argue. Instead, Matt's eyes are soft and caring.   
  
"You aren't going alone." he pauses, "I'm coming with you."  


	20. Sinister Attraction

Brianna glares at David in seething hatred. He raises an eyebrow at her in amusement. His lips curve upward into a smile before he breaks out in hysterical laughter. The sudden gesture shocks Brianna. After a few moments, David's laughter dies down.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. Was that supposed to be intimidating?" David asks Brianna.  
  
Brianna doesn't exactly know how to respond. Her eyes stay locked on David's, determined to show him that she means business.  
  
"You know what I find amusing?" he smirks, "I've kept you here, in a beautiful bedroom, full of an abundance of books and clothes, fed you, never once laid a violent finger on you, yet you have the decency to throw death threats at me like I'm a monster? I have only ever asked for one simple thing from you- "  
  
"Throwing a girl in a room with a complete stranger, forcing her to get pregnant for your benefit? That is not ' _one simple thing'_ , it's sick." Josh glares at David.

"A complete stran-" he laughs, "You two obviously have feelings for each other."   
  
" _Feelings_  don't give someone the right to justify rape." Josh defends her.  
  
"It isn't rape if it's willing." David corrects him.  
  
"She wasn't!" Josh yells.   
  
Brianna feels the urge to disappear as she listens to the two men argue. Her fists clench by her sides and she grows impatient.   
  
"Stop it!" she screams at the both of them.  
  
David tilts his head at her, "And look at you." he coos, " Playing all innocent when a few days ago you practically threw yourself at me."   
  
"You act all high and mighty about yourself when in reality you're just lonely and pathetic!" Brianna sneers at him, "I threw myself at you because I was desperate, not because I feel attracted to you."   
  
David stares at her in disbelief, "You're lying!" he screams at her.   
  
"We were both desperate. You were desperate for affection. I was desperate to do absolutely anything to get the hell out of here. If that meant having to kiss your disgusting lips, then so be it."

  
David's smile fades as he brings his hand up. With every word that flows from her mouth, he finds himself growing angrier and angrier. Until finally, he throws his hand across her face. Everything seems to move in slow motion as the crack of skin contacting skin echoes off the walls of the small bathroom. Brianna's eyes close and her mouth widens slightly in shock. She slowly shifts her head back to glare at him. Without a moments hesitation, she flings her hand forward, firmly connecting it against David's cheek. She is blinded by rage as she stares back at his now red cheek. She feels absolutely no remorse or regret. If anything, she is thrilled by her actions.  
  
"You stupid bitch." he sneers at her, "You're going to regret ever laying a filthy hand on me."   
  
"No." she smiles, "I regret not doing it sooner."   
  
"Watch your mouth, little girl." he warns, closing the space between the two.   
  
Brianna finds herself with her back pressed against the bathroom wall, only inches away from David now. Her breath quickens when she feels something pressed against her stomach. She peers down to see a gun.   
  
"Get away from her." Josh sneers, taking a step closer to David.   
  
"Josh stop." she whispers, "He has a gun."   
  
Josh stops dead in his tracks.   
  
David smirks down at her. 

"Go ahead." Brianna taunts, "Shoot me."   
  
"What?" Josh exclaims, "No!"  
  
"No woman in their right mind will ever love you! Do it!" she screams up at him, "Do it, you stupid son of a bitch!"   
  
Her outburst surprises David. His grip on the gun stays the same.   
  
"Nah." David smiles, "That would be too easy, and no fun at all."  
  
"Go ahead." she whispers, "Do whatever you want with me. I don't care anymore. At least I'll die loved."   
  
"Glad to hear you say that."   
  
David glances over his shoulder at the pregnancy test on the bathroom counter. A single red line is visible.   
  
"Time's up." he states, "Congratulations, you're not pregnant."  
  
He studies her face.   
  
"But you already knew that, didn't you?" he questions.   
  
Brianna keeps her poker face on.   
  
"Son of a bitch!" he yells, hitting the wall directly above Brianna's head, "You lied to me didn't you? HUH? You're still a virgin, aren't you?!"   
  
"You're crazy!" Brianna insists, "Not everyone get's pregnant the first time-"  
  
"BULLSHIT!" David screams.  
  
His face turns red and his hands shake in anger.  
  
"She isn't lying! We had se-" Josh protests.   
  
"ALEXANDER! EDDIE!" David yells in pure anger.   
  
Brianna takes the opportunity to knee him in the crotch. David yells out in pain as Brianna grabs his gun and runs towards Josh. Josh grabs her hand and sprints through the door.   
  
"ALEX! EDDIE!" David yells out again.  
  
"Keep running!" Josh tells Brianna.   
  
"No. No way. This time you're coming with me, We're making it out of here, alive." she replies.   
  
She grabs his hand, pulling him towards the wooden staircase. When they hit the top, they are met by Eddie.   
  
"Where do you think you're going, princess?" he coos with a smug smile.  
  
"Not where you're going, that's for sure." she smirks, aiming the gun at Eddie.   
  
"Like you'd shoot me." he scoffs, "I bet you don't even know how to work a gun, princes-"  
  
Josh makes no move to stop her as she flicks the safety off and pulls the trigger. Eddie's eyes widen as a bullet pierces through the fabric of his jeans, right into his left upper thigh. He screams out in pain as he drops to the floor clutching onto his thigh.   
  
"Come on!" she quickly urges Josh.   
  
Josh follows close behind her as they dart past Eddie, making their way towards the front door and freedom.  
  
"Future Starts Slow by The Kills right?" a calm voice asks, "I remember exactly how wasted you were. Your cute little drunken giggles while you rubbed yourself up against me, your hand around my neck, your fingers knotted in my hair, your back pressed against the wall, your lips on mine.."  
  
Brianna's eyes widen as Alex comes into view. There is only one difference between him and Eddie, he has a gun.   
  
"Man, you were an animal! You know, when my father asked me to look for a snappy little blonde girl, I had never expected for her to be so good at dancing, or kissing for that matter. But there you were, a perky little blonde in a sexy little mini dress, desperate for alcohol and affection. You had this whole look about you, seduced me like a pro. Sure, you denied me sex, but I knew I would have my way with you eventually."   
  
"Shut up." she orders him.  
  
 _"Oh Alex, I'm glad it was you last night and not some sick rapist!"_  he mimics her voice. 

Brianna continues to glare at him.   
  
"Rot in hell." Josh sneers through gritted teeth.   
  
"I believe I was talking to the lady." Alex glares at Josh, "No worries, love. I was the perfect gentlemen. Could've fooled anyone. And man, you should've seen your face when you figured everything out! It was priceless!" he laughs.   
  
Brianna's hands shake in anger.   
  
"You're probably wondering why nobody has found you? Did you really think I would be stupid enough to leave a note at a crime scene with a address on it? 74 Sky Lane isn't a real address! I planted the note there. I set the bait, and you took it."   
  
Josh watches closely as Alex continues to ramble on. Neither one of them has moved an inch.  
  
"Gotta say though, when you told me that I could still turn my life around, begged me to set you free, that was my favourite part."   
  
Brianna has heard enough. Her finger moves to the trigger, pulling it. She doesn't so much as flinch as the sound of the shot echoes throughout the room. Alex quickly moves out of the way, the bullet misses him completely.  
  
Her eyes widen in shock.   
  
"What is that?" he laughs, "Your second time shooting a gun? Oh honey, you've got to be a lot faster than that if you want to hit me. Allow me to demonstrate."   
  
Alex raises his weapon with a steady hand, aiming it at Josh. Before Josh can react, Alex pulls the trigger, sending a bullet flying into the air and into Josh's left upper arm.   
  
"JOSH!" Brianna shrieks in horror.   
  
Josh grips his arm in pain as blood slowly begins to pool at their feet.   
  
"Oh relax, it's an arm shot. Unlike you, I can aim. He'll live." Alex laughs in amusement, "Play time's over children, time to go back downstairs."   
  
"Go fuck yourself." Brianna sneers at him.   
  
"Ouch." Alex exclaims, placing a hand over his heart, "Harsh words coming from you, blondie."   
  
"You took my life away from me, and now I'm going to take yours away from you." Brianna yells at him.   
  
"Ooo I'm so scared!" he laughs, "You know love, if you were able to follow through with half of the threats you dish out, people might actually feel intimidated by you."   
  
That's enough. A single tear rolls down her cheek and she fires a second shot, the bullet barely grazing his arm this time.   
  
"Be careful, you don't want to run out of bullets!" he laughs, "Okay. Fun's over. You just aren't worth the trouble."   
  
Alex aims his gun at Brianna's chest and pulls the trigger. Thankfully, Brianna dodges the bullet in time. As soon as she is steady on her feet, she aims the gun at him once again, pulling the trigger. This time, he dodges the blow, firing a second shot at Brianna. Despite her best efforts, the bullet grazes her right arm. Brianna fights through the pain, firing a third shot his way. The shot hits him clean through the shoulder.    
  
"I guess you've always liked it rough." he yells, "Especially when your tongue was in my mouth and our bodies were so close! How does it feel Brianna? Getting drunk, seducing a stranger while your boyfriend is being tortured and getting cozy with another girl?"  
  
Brianna aims for his hands this time. Being successful, Alex's grip on the weapon loosens and it drops to the ground. Brianna takes a steady step towards him, kicking the gun away from him. She presses her gun up against his head.   
  
"You're just a pathetic little slut!." Alex snarls at her, "You don't have it in you to kill someone!"   
  
"You're right. I don't have it in me to kill someone. Lucky for me, you aren't a person. You're a disgusting monster." Brianna whispers through gritted teeth, "And I hope you rot in hell."   
  
With that, she quickly lowers the gun down to his chest and pulls the trigger. Blood splatters against her clothing as the bullet impacts with his flesh. Alex grips his chest as he collapses to the floor. After a few moments, blood begins to bubble in his mouth. Brianna kneels down over his body as he gasps for breath.   
  
"Aw, what's the matter? Finding it hard to breathe? I'm not an idiot, Alex. You thought I was going to shoot you in the head, didn't you? But you see, that would make your death quick. I want to watch as you bleed to death, right here in front of me. I want to watch as the life slowly drains away from your eyes. I want to watch as you desperately gasp for breath that will never come. Your lung is punctured, Alex. It's filling up with blood as we speak. Well, I speak, anyway. It's too bad you gave me the wrong address, because if a doctor knew where we were, I'm sure he could fix you right up! Everyone just seems to keep underestimating my abilities. You see, Alex, I'm going to escape now, live a long, happy life. Hell, maybe I'll even have some kids. You may have tried to take my life away, but I am going to succeed in taking yours. You're going to die alone." she smirks down at him, "Oh and uh, have fun in hell, _love._ "   
  
Brianna stands up, bringing her leg back and thrusting it forward for one last blow to Alex's ribs. He screams in excruciating pain as Brianna walks away, satisfied with herself. She glances at Josh, grasping his arm in pain.   
  
"Josh!" she runs to him, "It's okay. It's only your arm. We're almost out."   
  
Josh nods. The colour has completely drained from his face, leaving a pale, putrid look. She gently grabs Josh's right arm and slings it over her own shoulder. Slowly, she escorts him to the front door, paying no attention to Alex's withering body, convulsing on the floor next to them. Just as they reach the front door, a horrified voice erupts from behind them. 

"Alex!" David screams in horror.  
  
Brianna and Josh glance back for a brief moment. Brianna locks eyes with David.   
  
"You!" he screams at her. He notices the blood on Brianna's white blouse,  "You did this!"   
  
Brianna spins back around, gripping the door handle and pulling it open.   
  
"You'll pay for this, you stupid bitch!" David bellows, "I'm going to kill him! And then I'm going to kill you!"   
  
Brianna's eyes widen as David's face turns red. He eyes the gun next to his son's broken body. Brianna takes the opportunity to run out into the light. At first, it burns their eyes. The pair squint their eyes, trying to adjust to the world outside of the dark, musty little farmhouse. With the weight of Josh on her shoulders, Brianna trudges down the front steps, careful not to trip. One wrong move and David would have her. Once she is back on the safety of land, she begins to run. Her footsteps are light and quick, almost as if she was stepping on broken glass. She still supports Josh, who is struggling to keep up with the anxious blonde. The pair descend through the forest line, into the cover the trees and bushes. They never stop moving, terrified that one measly pit stop to regain their breath, would cost them their lives. Josh's wound continues to bleed on, causing the illusion of vertigo to wash over his body. His knees grow shaky and weak, but they refuse to lay down and die. Brianna is panting hard now, the weight of Josh's body is finally wearing on her. Neither one of them says a word to each other as they run on, side by side, partners until the very end.   
  
When they reach the old cabin, the couple gaze up at each other. Brianna, hesitant about the risk they would take by stopping at a seemingly deserted cabin, shakes her head at Josh. Josh agrees with her decision and the pair trudge on through the never ending labyrinth of trees and bushes.  
  
David stomps through the familiar maze of wildlife with only one goal on his mind; revenge. He no longer cares for his revolution. His breathing is heavy and uneven, his face no longer calm and menacing, only red in undeniable anger.  He can find another pair of horny teenagers to do his bidding. Brianna has ripped away the single shred of humanity David had left in him; his son. A sinister smile crosses his face when the pair come into his view. With a steady hand, David raises his gun, aiming ahead at the hobbling couple, his finger dancing on the trigger.   
  
A gunshot sounds through the air.

Matt and Katy, accompanied by about ten police officers, hike through the forest in confidence. Katy is convinced that today is the day she will save her best friend. By Katy's calculations, they are about thirty minutes away from the old farmhouse, and ten minutes away from the creepy cabin. She strongly believes that soon, this will all be over.  
  
Brianna stops dead in her tracks as a gun shot ricochets off of a nearby tree. Josh, now fading in and out of consciousness, fails to notice.   
  
"Did you really think I was going to let you run free after murdering my son?" David sneers through gritted teeth.  
  
Brianna slowly turns around to face the voice, dragging Josh along with her.   
  
"No." Brianna shakes her head.  
  
David, thrown off by her response, tilts his head in confusion.   
  
"Y'know darling, I gave you a chance to make it out of this alive, and you thank me by killing my only son. I guess you can understand why I want you dead? Buried six feet under, rotting and scorching in the fires of hell."  
  
"Go ahead, then. Kill me." Brianna taunts him with a smirk.   
  
David's gun is still trained on Brianna.   
  
When he fails to comply, Brianna squints her eyes, examining the man.   
  
"You can't." she smirks, "No matter how much you want to-you know what? The split second before I pulled the trigger on your son, I realized why. Your son, he isn't really yours is he? No, of course not. I remember you. How could I forget? It was 9 years ago. I had just turned nineteen at the time, I was off school, gone back home to visit my family. When I got there, I found my mom and a woman whom I had never seen before. Turns out her name was Lily, and she was my aunt. She was in her early thirties, beautiful woman with a frightening resemblance to me. Aunt Lily was torn up about something. The only details I got were that she got pregnant at a very young age and gave her baby away. She also informed us that she believed that her little baby Alex, was in danger. She heard of your brother's arrest for attempted murder and rape. She was afraid that you were going down the same path as your brother, dragging her Alex down along with you. Though she was shaken up, she left a few days later. The day after she left, I distinctly remember that I was getting ready for a date with my boyfriend at the time, when there was a knock at the door. Assuming it was just my boyfriend running a little early, I answered the door without any hesitation. When I opened it only to see a pair of piercing blue eyes staring back at me, I was shocked. A man in his late twenties, dressed only in black confronted me. He greeted me politely, but then he asked about Aunt Lily. That was you wasn't it? I lied, told you I didn't know a Lily, and you seemed to have believed me. I remember the way your eyes raked over my body, carefully admiring every inch of bare skin. Ever since you laid eyes on me, you had this creepy, twisted, sinister attraction-"  
  
"Don't flatter yourself." he huffs, "Although it may seem that way, this wasn't arranged. My orders were to take any girl who appeared capable of carrying a child. Imagine my surprise when I saw a spunky blonde, ten years older now,  curling up next to hair dye over there. But then, I saw the way you looked at me, felt the way you kissed me. You're attracted to me Brianna, just accept it."  
  
Brianna gazes over at Josh's unconscious body.   
  
"Yeah? Maybe I was attracted to you. Hear that?  _Attracted._ " she draws out the word, "Past tense. But I must have been losing my mind. Because David, this isn't some TV show or movie where the bad guy gets the girl. This is reality where the good guy gets the girl, and the bad guy goes to prison."   
  
"You're wrong." David threatens.  
  
"So what now?" Brianna asks, "You just gonna kill me? Screw the revolution?"   
  
"Well yeah screw the bloody revolution! Tables have turned, blondie, you murdered my son, and I-"  
  
"Intend to make me pay! Rot in hell! Six feet under-yeah, yeah. Save the revenge speech and just shoot me already."   
  
"Well, if you insist." David smirks. 


	21. Zugzwang

David has had enough. No girl is worth his son’s life. He takes a deep breath, placing a steady finger on the trigger. David, engulfed by his own thoughts, fails to see Brianna hold up her own gun. Brianna’s finger stays fixed on the trigger, ready to shoot at any moment. David snaps out of his own trance, finally recognizing that Brianna is armed.

"Looks like we’ll just have to see who’s faster." Brianna taunts.

"Looks like."

Josh opens his eyes. The atmosphere around him is one colossal blur. As his eyes focus in on the scenery in front of him, he notices the gun trained on Brianna. His eyes widen and a shock of pure adrenaline ignites in his veins. He moves to stand in front of Brianna.

"What the hell are you doing?" Brianna asks in shock, "Get behind me! You’re hurt!"

"I’m not letting him hurt you." Josh insists.

"Well isn’t that sweet?" David laughs in amusement, "Looks like I’ll just have to kill you both."

Without another word, David presses down on the trigger. A quick blur of silver flashes through the air.

  
Katy and Matt stagger through the forest, followed by a handful of police officers. Katy pauses for a moment, biting her lip in concentration.  
  
"I think it was this way." she whispers to Matt, "I wish we had a sign or something."   
  
The pair freeze as a loud crackling sound echoes through the forest. Katy spins on her heel to face the officers in a hurry.  
  
"That's them, it's gotta be." she confirms, "They can't be too far away either!"  
  
"This way!" an officer orders.   
  
The group trudges past Matt and Katy, deeper and deeper into the unfamiliar forest. A sharp scream of pure agony guides them.   
  
  
Brianna’s eyes widen in horror. This is the end for Josh. She can’t bring herself to let him do this. All he has done since the moment they met was keep her safe. Her life isn't worth his, and now it is time for her to return the favour. The gun slips from her grip, landing on the grassy forest floor beneath them. Brianna brings her arms around Josh’s body, gripping him tight. With as much force as she can muster, she pushes her body against his, tackling them both to the ground. Brianna gasps as she lands on top of Josh’s body. A sharp pain piercing the side of her body causes her to scream in agony.

"BRIANNA!" Josh screams.  
  
Brianna clutches her side, her face twisted with pain. She rolls to the side, pain shooting through every fibre of her being. Brianna collapses to the ground harder than she expects, causing her to gasp in shock. Slowly, she removes her trembling hand from her side, bringing it up to her gaze. She grows weaker as she examines her hand, covered in fresh crimson blood. Josh moves beside her, his stomach twisted in anxious knots.

"Let me go." Brianna pleads up at him, placing a loving hand on his cheek, "Let me bleed out while you escape. You need to survive this."  
  
"No. I can't just leave you here. I won't." Josh whispers, his voice trembling in fear.   
  
"You have to." Brianna insists, "I'll be fine. I'll watch over you."  
  
The faintest smile crosses her face, causing Josh's heart to sink. Her breathing grows ragged and uneven. She does her best to ignore the splitting pain cutting through her side like a knife as she leans up on one elbow.   
  
"Come closer." she weakly urges him.   
  
Josh complies, bringing his own face closer to hers. They gaze at each other with as much love as an old married couple, inseparable. Brianna tilts her chin, causing their lips to meet. His lips are rough and chapped, but she doesn't think about that as her lips catch his slow and passionately. Her head is turning, spinning in ecstasy and pain. A single tear rolls down his cheek. He knows that the radiant angel laying in front of him only has moments left. She's on her death bed, the life slowly draining from her body, once full of life, but now nothing but an empty shell. Her voluptuous lips press against his for one final moment of bliss, of fiery passion. Though the kiss only lasts a few seconds, it appears as an eternity. As the pair break away, their foreheads press together, breathing heavily for a few seconds.   
  
"I love you." she croaks out to him, eyes now open. She collapses to the forest floor without another word, her hand falling from Josh's cheek. Her eyes grow weary, the earth around her blurs.   
  
"No." Josh cries, "Don't you dare close your eyes."  
  


Watching the scene unfold around him, David prepares to fire off another shot. He aims the gun down towards the tragic couple, smiling at his masterpiece of crimson surrounding them.   
  
"FREEZE!" A voice yells from behind him, "VPD, drop the gun!"  
  
The yelling catches Josh's attention. He glances back at the cop positioned behind David before averting his attention towards Brianna.   
  
David frowns, loosening his grip enough to allow the gun to fall to the ground.   
  
"Hands up!" the cop orders, "On your knees, Mr. Beaumont!"   
  
David lowers to the ground slowly, the only thing keeping him from resisting is the fact that Brianna is dying. As the officer cuffs his wrists and begins to recite the grounds of his arrest, he glances over at the shattered couple. David becomes even more oblivious to what the police officer is saying as he examines the paramedics rush over to Josh and Brianna.   
  
Josh is reluctantly torn away from Brianna. A paramedic insists that he needs to let them take care of the bullet wound in his arm. He refuses, insisting that he is fine. His head spins as he glances over at the group of officers surrounding her unconscious body. All he can do is watch as a man slowly picks her up and disappears through the forest clearing. A few moments later, Matt and Katy are running towards him. Katy searches around the small area and finds no sight of Brianna. Worry bubbles in her stomach, a part of her is afraid to ask where she is.   
  
"She was shot." Josh explains quietly, averting his attention to Katy.   
  
"Oh my God." Katy gasps, bringing her trembling hands over her mouth. She collapses to the ground in shock.   
  
"Is she.." Matt trails off.   
  
"I-She was conscious a few seconds ago. One of the officers carried her out of the forest right before you came."   
  
"T-there's so much blood." she states in pure horror.  
  
Katy stares at the ground in shock. Matt can't do anything but watch as his girlfriend breaks down in front of him. He sits down on the grassy forest floor, bringing Katy into his arms.   
  
An officer makes his way over to Josh. He asks Josh a few questions, urging him to take the ambulance to the hospital for his arm. When Josh refuses, the officer offers him an alternative.   
  
"If you hurry, you can ride back to the hospital with the girl."   
  
Josh agrees instantly. The officer ushers him back to meet up with the ambulance. Josh is immediately told that once they arrive, he will need surgery to remove the bullet in his shoulder. He nods, his eyes never leaving Brianna's still body. Her eyes are closed now, and she is attached to a bunch of medical equipment that Josh doesn't know the names of. It seems like hours to him as they drive to the hospital, every bump in the road going straight to his upper arm. He winces with pain every so often, but most of his concentration is on Brianna. His eyes focus on the heart monitor that she is connected to, afraid that if his eyes shift for even a second, the girl he loves will be gone, ripped away from him. When the ambulance finally comes to a complete stop, the world seems to blur around him. He helplessly watches as they wheel Brianna out into the emergency room. He tries to follow, fighting off the paramedics with as much strength as he has left. When she is finally out of his eyesight, the world turns black, and Josh seems to only grow weaker and weaker with every passing moment.  
  
"Get him into surgery!" a paramedic orders. 

"No..I...I have to...have to make sure she's okay." he mumbles, "Don't....don't let her die. She's my everything. I can't..."  
  
"Sir, I need you to save your energy."  
  
"If it comes between her...her and me, let...just let me die.." Josh begs.  
  
His legs finally give out, causing his body to collapse. Josh hears an abundance of orders as he feels his body being wheeled out of the ambulance. He tries to move, tries to fight the paramedics, but every muscle in his body seems to disagree with him. Finally, his eyes grow weak and all he has left is deafening silence.   
  
  
 *******  
  
Brianna is first to hit the operating room. The doctors gather around her nearly lifeless body and get to work. Brianna, however, is a world away.  
  
 _She smiles at herself in the full length mirror, twirling around and around, watching flashes of white cascade around her feet as she comes to a stop. She smooths down the hand beaded fabric on her stomach, smiling down at the ground. There are no words for the immense amount of joy she feels in the moment. Her mother appears by her side, the look on her face is nearly as joyful as Brianna's._  
  
 _"Are you nervous?" she asks softly._  
  
 _"Yes, but a good nervous. An excited nervous." Brianna beams._

 _"I'm so proud of you."_  
  
 _Butterflies begin to flutter wildly in her stomach as her mother carefully clips a creamy white veil on her head._  
  
 _"I feel like a princess." she giggles._  
  
 _"You look like one too." her mother smiles at her, "You're beautiful."_  
  
 _"Thank you." Brianna whispers, her eyes wet with tears._  
  
 _"Now, now, no crying until after the wedding." she orders, "You'll ruin your makeup."_  
  
 _Brianna spins around, engulfing her mother in a hug._  
  
 _"I love you." she smiles._  
  
 _"I love you too." her mother smiles back, "But as much as I love you, I don't want you to miss your own wedding."_  
  
 _Brianna giggles, and then the world around her fades away to black._  
  
 *******  
  
Josh wakes up just as he is being prepped for surgery. 

"Stop." he begs, "I won't do this until I see her."   
  
"Sir, it is crucial that we get you all stitched up. The bullet went clean through your arm, but there is still excessive bleeding." the nurse attempts to persuade him.  
  
"I won't be knocked unconscious without knowing that her surgery went okay." he cuts the nurse off,"If you must stitch me up, I am going to be conscious for it. Numb my arm, do what you have to do, but no anesthesia." 

*******

"We're losing her!"  
  
Doctors surround Brianna's body. Time seems to move in slow motion as a loud beeping sound pierces through their ears. The surgeon working on Brianna frantically glances over at the heart monitor, only to reveal the dreaded, inevitable flat line. The room grows frantic, everyone is working together to desperately try to revive Brianna.   
  
"She's unresponsive." the surgeon sighs after a few minutes, "Call it."  
  
 _"Time of death, 1:45pm."_  
  
  
 *******  
  
In the waiting room Matt and Katy wait anxiously. Unable to sit still, Katy paces back and forth around the room. Matt is playing with his thumbs, glancing at the clock every so often. None of them say a word. Their heads snap up when the doctor enters the waiting room.  
  
"Are you two related to the girl who was brought in with a gunshot wound?" he asks.   
  
"No, but her mother is on her way over and her boyfriend is getting stitches." Katy explains, "I am Brianna's best friend, she's like a sister to me."   
  
"It might be best if you sit down.." he sighs.   
  
"W-what? Why would I need to sit down?" Katy stutters in disbelief.   
  
"Please miss I-"  
  
"No! If you are going to say what I think you're going to say-" her eyes begin to water.   
  
"I'm sorry." the doctor sighs, "She didn't make it off of the table."   
  
"What?" a voice softly whispers from across the room.   
  
Josh stands paralyzed, unable to fully take in the doctor's words. Katy and Matt's heads turn to face Josh. Matt stands, moving towards him. Josh ignores Matt, keeping his attention on the doctor. He stomps across the room, stopping directly in front of him. His gaze shifts towards the dry blood on his own hands.   
  
"Josh.." Matt trails off, only a few steps away.   
  
"Where is she?" Josh asks softly, his gaze still focused on his hands.   
  
Katy directs her own attention towards Josh. His hands are shaking and his face has drained of the little colour he has left. If he wasn't up and breathing, he could be mistaken for a dead corpse.   
  
"Take me to her!" Josh orders.   
  
His voice shakes in despair and rage.   
  
"I'm sorry sir, you can't go in there."   
  
"Are you married?"   
  
The question takes the doctor completely off guard.   
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Do you love her?" he asks.   
  
The doctor doesn't answer.   
  
"You do." Josh reads the doctor's facial expression. After a brief pause, he continues, "You know, just over a month ago I had no idea who that woman was. She hated me, thought I was a conceited asshole who let fame get to him. But then we got to know each other. I saw her at her worst, and I grew to love her. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for her. If I still had the chance, I would die for her. I would take her place. She died protecting me. She died protecting me from some sorry excuse of a human being who kidnapped her because she happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I just want to see her one last time before she is stuck in a coffin and buried in the ground. Is that so wrong?"   
  
"Dr. Reynolds!" a nurse rushes out of the operating room, "I'm sorry for interrupting, but we need you in there!"   
  
"I'm sorry, I'll be back." he apologizes.   
  
"Are you kidding me?" Josh yells after him, completely enraged.   
  
The doctor disappears behind closed doors and Josh finally breaks down, ignoring all forms of comfort from Matt and Katy.   
  
 *******  
  
"I'm sorry for just walking in there, but it's about the girl." the nurse explains, walking side by side.   
  
"What about her?" the doctor asks, raising an eyebrow.   
  
"I don't know how-one minute she was dead, completely unresponsive, the next she had a heartbeat."   
  
The doctor stops dead in his tracks, "Are you sure?"   
  
The nurse nods.   
  
"Well then let's get back in there and get that girl stabilized."  
  
"Already done, Dr." she smiles, "I think she's going to make it."

  
 *****A FEW MOMENTS AGO****  
  
 _"I do." Brianna smiles up at Josh._  
  
 _"And do you, Joshua Ramsay, take Brianna Bridges as your lawfully wedded wife?"_  
  
 _"I do." Josh gleams._  
  
 _"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."_  
  
 _"I love you so much." Josh mutters before leaning closer to Brianna, pressing his lips to her own._  
  
 _In that moment, Brianna feels fireworks go off. Her dreams are finally coming true, she is finally happy. The crowd of family and relatives clap and cheer as Josh grips her by the waist, gently dipping her. She giggles in pure bliss. When the pair finally breaks apart, the world freezes. They are the only two in the room._  
  
 _"I love y-" Brianna is cut off by a bullet piercing through Josh's chest._  
  
 _Brianna screams in horror, dropping to the ground beside Josh, clutching his limp body in her arms._  
  
 _"Josh!" Brianna cries out, "Please don't leave me."_  
  
A bright light engulfs her, clouding her vision until she can't see anything at all.  
  
  
  
As a few doctors and nurses clean up the bloody tools on the tray beside Brianna's body, a faint beeping echoes throughout the room. Their heads turn towards the once silent heart monitor. The nurse glances over at Brianna's unconscious body. Her pupils are moving frantically beneath her eyelids.   
  
"Get her stabilized!" a voice orders, "We have a second chance to save this girl's life, let's get it right."   
  
 *******


	22. A Fool's Paradise

Josh takes a seat in the nearest chair. How could he have let this happen to her? Brianna doesn't deserve this. He closes his eyes, running his shaky hands through his hair. Katy takes a seat beside him, studying his face carefully. She has never seen a human so broken before in her entire life. Yes, she is sad, but she holds herself together the best she can.   
  
"She loved you, you know." she says softly.   
  
The tone of his voice, despite the situation, is warm and comforting, like a blanket to his frost-bitten ears. Josh peers over at a girl whom he has never seen before.   
  
"When you helped her escape, all she could talk about-think about was saving you." she explains.   
  
"She died in my arms." he mumbles, "The second she was shot, she knew."   
  
"She died loved." Matt adds in, "That's a rare thing."  
  
"Did you guys call her parents?" Josh asks.   
  
Katy nods, "Her mother is stuck in traffic, but she should be here soon."   
  
"So that's it then? She's gone." Josh sighs, unable to contain his emotions, "You know, she used to talk about not wanting to die. I pro-I promised her that I would get her out of there safely. I failed her."   
  
"No, you didn't." Katy says in frustration, "Look, I don't even know you. But I know you cared for Brianna more than anything in the world. Her death isn't your fault, so stop treating it like it is."  
  
Josh is shocked at the sudden change in Katy's voice. She is completely enraged.   
  
"I need some air." Josh announces, storming out of the waiting room and avoiding all eye contact.  
  
When Matt tries to follow him, Katy holds him back.   
  
"He needs some space." she sighs.   
  
With Josh out of the room, Katy has no reason to hold herself together anymore. She sits down beside Matt.   
  
"Can you just hold me?" Katy whispers.   
  
Matt nods, bringing Katy into his arms. She gently buries her face in his shoulder in complete silence. He rubs her back in  soothing, circular motions. Katy grasps onto his shirt, not knowing quite what to do next. Brianna and Katy have been best friends since grade school, closer than ever. She was like a sister to her, and now she's gone. Katy will never get to gossip or cry about boys with her ever again, never be able to go to the mall, or to the movies. 

Although Matt barely knows Brianna, he weeps for her. No one should be treated so horribly by another human being, no one should die like that.   
  
   
  
***  
  
  
  
Brianna's eyes fly open. She glances around the room in a pure horror, tangled in a mess of wires. A constant ring pierces through her ears, and her eyes burn from the harsh florescent lights. Her side aches. She peers down at her body, weak and bruised. Then it all comes back to her like a tidal wave. David shot her, she was dead. She was finally at peace, and then she was thrust back into the world, kicking and screaming like a newborn child. A doctor rushes to her side, asking her different questions. She ignores them all. 

"Is Josh okay?" she orders.  
  
"The boy who came here with you? Yes. It took some persuasion, but we were able to stop the bleeding and give him stitches."  
  
Brianna smiles at this. Of course Josh was stubborn as hell.   
  
"You on the other hand.. you died on the table. You were clinically dead for eight minutes and yet, here you are." he smiles at her.  
  
"Here I am." she forces a smile.   
  
"Do you think you're ready for visitors? I've got the whole party committee waiting outside." the doctor laughs.   
  
Brianna nods. She needs her family and friends right now more than ever. The doctor leaves for a moment, and she is left with that constant beeping noise she can't stand. The next time she glances over at the door, her gaze is met by familiar smiling faces.   
  
"Thank God." Katy exclaims running up to Brianna's bed, "I thought I lost my best friend."   
  
"Nope. You still have me, sass and all."   
  
Katy laughs for the first time in awhile.   
  
"Glad to have you back."   
  
"Your mom is on her way, she's stuck in traffic. Some accident on the highway or something." Katy explains.   
  
Matt stands awkwardly behind his girlfriend, unsure of what to say. As Brianna's eyes shift to Matt, Katy takes notice.   
  
"Oh right, sorry! This is Ma-"   
  
"Matt Webb. Lead guitarist of Marianas Trench." Brianna cuts her off, "We've met."   
  
"You have?" Katy asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. The night of the concert, as I was leaving the venue I ran into him. Literally walked straight into him." she laughs, "He seemed so flustered, even though it was me who bumped into him."  
  
"Oh yeah." Matt whispers, his face turning a bright shade of red.   
   
Katy laughs, shaking her head. Brianna joins, and soon enough, Matt follows. As the laughter slowly begins to die down, the joyous laughter is replaced by deafening silence. Brianna takes the opportunity to ask the question she;s been dying to ask ever since they walked into the room.   
  
"Where's Josh?"  
  
  
***  
  
  
Josh knocks on the door of his parent's home. When the old door swings open, and Josh is met by his mother's smiling face, he feels just a little bit better. His mother, on the other hand, is overwhelmed with emotion.   
  
"Joshua?" she asks in barely a whisper.  
  
For a moment she studies him, daring her eyes to play a trick on her. But this time, he isn't just a mirage in some desert, he is _real.  
  
"Hi mom." _he cracks a genuine smile for the first time  in awhile.   
  
It's funny what just two simple words can do to a person. The two words are enough to prove himself to his mother.   
  
"Oh thank God!" she cries, engulfing him in a motherly hug. 

Josh's mind is racing. A sliver of relief washes over his body. Part of him is thrilled to be back in his own mother's arms, the other half is overwhelmed with such an immense amount of sadness that he wouldn't even wish upon his worst enemy. That part, feels dead inside already.   
  
"I thought you were dead!" his mother continues, breaking away from the hug to face him for the first time in months.  
  
Even though a part of him has already passed along with Brianna back at the hospital, Josh smiles, afraid of worrying his mother.   
  
"What's wrong honey?" his mother coos, seeing right through his fabricated smile.   
  
Josh, tired and desperate, breaks down. He can't keep a secret so vast, from his mother.   
  
"She's-she.." he pauses, gathering his own strength, "She's dead because of me."   
  
His voice is small and frail, like a child who has just done something wrong, waiting to be punished for his actions. Perhaps he has spilled orange juice all over the carpet, or broken his mother's favourite vase, imported directly from Italy, while playing ball with Matt in the house. He wishes it were only that simple. Broken things can be fixed...most of the time, anyways. But this...this is something entirely different. His world is not broken, it is shattered like tiny shards of glass into a million pieces, and certainly cannot be mended or glued back together.   
  
His eyes are wet with tears, glistening in the light as he steps further into his childhood home. So many memories are trapped inside the house, both good and bad. He remembers messing with his sisters until they were red in the face, cursing homework with his friends, and then blowing it off to play video games. The very first time he brought a girl home to his family, and even his very first kiss. But those memories aren't as important to Josh as the one's that are missing. He will never get to introduce Brianna to his parents, listen to his sisters tease him about having a girlfriend, he will never get to kiss her lips softly under the moonlight, and laugh about how cheesy they were being. He will never get to grow old and have a family with her. He will never get to truly  _live._

"Who?" his mother asks.   
  
"The girl I fell in love with." Josh sighs, making direct eye contact with his mother.   
  
  
***

Brianna sits back up in shock, nearly tearing her stitches.  
  
"You mean to tell me that you let him go off alone, after finding out I was dead?!" she orders in anger.   
  
"Brianna, you need to calm down, your stitches will-" Katy starts.   
  
"Don't you tell me to calm down!" Brianna snaps, "One of you needs to go find him before he does something that he will regret..or worse."   
  
Her voice shakes in a mix of anger, shock and desperation. She didn't just get shot so that Josh can hurt..or even kill himself. She runs shaky hands through her greasy hair. Her body trembles as she buries her face in her hands, ignoring the sharp pain shooting up the side of her body. When she uncovers her eyes, Matt is gone from the room.   
  
"He went to look for Josh." Katy whispers softly. 

She studies Brianna's current shape in great detail, from her messy hair, to the scratches on her arms. Finally, her eyes meet the bandages shielding her stitches like armor shields a knight.   
  
"I should have never forced you into going to that concert."   
  
Katy's voice is barely audible, but enough to snap Brianna back to reality. Brianna realizes that she must have been too harsh.   
  
"This isn't your fault." Brianna insists.   
  
Katy shakes her head in doubt, closing her eyes, and biting down on her lip, "None of this would've happened if-"  
  
"Don't you do that." Brianna cuts her off. Her voice is soft and welcoming now, "Don't you put this on yourself."   
  
 "But-"  
  
"Didn't you just hear me? You will  _not_  blame yourself for this. Look, I'm fine!" Brianna exclaims, waving her hands around in the air. She has always been one to add some dramatic flare to serious situations, "I'm alive! I'm not a ghost. Wrong place, wrong time. No biggie."  
  
"No biggi-Brianna do you hear yourself? You were drugged, kidnapped, and nearly raped! God knows what else they did to you."   
  
"I escaped. I'm alive, and he's behind bars. I win." Brianna adds.   
  
"Anna escaped too." Katy sighs in a small voice, "She was the reason we got to you in time. But she never really escaped."   
  
"What do you mean? She got away from Alex and David and everyone else! I would consider that a victory!"   
  
"Whatever he-whatever they did to her...it drove her straight into the nuthouse. She kept mumbling about a house, about seeing red. And once you were rescued..."   
  
"What?" Brianna asks softly.   
  
Katy sighs, taking a deep breath before continuing, "Once you were rescued, she got worse. Whatever happened in that house was enough to drive her insane. While you were out I got a call from her doctor, seeing as Matt and I were her only visitors aside from her father. Brianna, they found her strung up in her room."   
  
Brianna keeps quiet, her mouth hanging open in pure shock.   
  
"Her wrists were slashed, and the word  **MYSTIC** was found in her pocket, a note addressed to you."  
  
"Mystic?" Brianna asks, "I've never even met this girl before. What else did the note say?"  
  
"Well.." she trails off, "Some of the note was illegible, some of her uh...blood was smeared on the page. From what the doctor gathered, the note was the same thing she had been chanting over and over again...only different."  
  
"Different how?"   
  
"Well, some of the words were changed. Instead of a house, she wrote;  
  
 **red is everywhere,  
there's no escaping it,   
the screams, the tears, the pain,  
there's no escaping it,  
red will spill at MYSTIC,  
on the evening of DIAMONDS,  
there's no escaping it,  
blood will shed, tears will spill,  
he will not escape**."  
 **  
** **  
**The simple words haunt Brianna. They send a shiver up her spine. Yet, she wonders what they mean. Red will spill at mystic....on the evening of diamonds?  
  
"The words mystic and diamonds were written with such force, they page was ripped." Katy adds.  
  
"She was crazy, right?" They are just words on a page, they mean nothing more to me as they do to you." Brianna explains, "It's done. Josh and I escaped. It's all over."  
  
Although deep inside, a feeling in her stomach settles. A feeling that this is far from over.  
  
***  
  
Matt paces back and forth on the Ramsay's porch, waiting anxiously for the door to swing open, but also afraid of what he might find. He and Josh have been friends since they were just little kids, wrecking havoc everywhere they went, as their parents would gladly testify. Josh's mother stands before him, a perplexed look on her face.  
  
"Matthew?" she asks.   
  
"Hi Corrlyn..sorry for the whole showing up at your door without any notice..but has Josh been here lately?" he struggles to get the words out of his mouth, stumbling over the sentence.   
  
"Now isn't the best time, Matt." Corrlyn sighs.   
  
Any other time, Corrlyn would have invited Matt in with open arms, he is like a second son to her. But she knows that dealing with the issue at hand is more important than catching up with Matt.   
  
"It's important." Matt insists.   
  
"Can I have him call you later?" Corrlyn offers.   
  
"Call me-is he here?"   
  
"This really isn't a good time." she repeats. 

"Mrs. Ramsay please. This is important. Life or death." Matt begs.   
  
She doesn't know if it's the desperation laced in Matt's voice, or the fact that a part of her feels bad for turning him away, but she decides a quick chat with her son won't do any harm.   
  
"Alright. Just be quick." she smiles, opening the door wider.   
  
As soon as Matt crosses the threshold, he spots an empty can of Coke Zero on the table. Josh was definitely here.   
  
"He's upstairs in his room." Mrs. Ramsay directs him.   
  
Matt nods, making his way towards the spiral staircase that used to frighten him when he was younger. His steps quicken as he approaches his bedroom. He braces himself for what he's about to see. Was Josh hurting himself again? Would he really turn to shooting himself up with harmful chemicals again? Matt gulps hard, his hand reaching out towards the doorknob. He has walked in on Josh getting high before, but now it's different. He has been clean for so many years, and he's on edge.   
  
Before he can talk himself out of it, Matt swings open the door. Josh lifts his head weakly, eyes locking with Matt's. For a moment, Matt forgets why he's there. He studies Josh; his slouched posture and trembling hands.   
  
"She's gone Matt." Josh whispers.   
  
His voice cracks, weak and fragile. Though his red, swollen eyes are staring straight into the younger boy's, Josh seems a million miles away, like he's going to disappear into the black abyss forever at any second.   
  
"Was." Matt corrects him.   
  
"What?" Josh asks, a tinge of confusion laces his voice.   
  
"Was. She was gone."   
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Josh raises his voice.   
  
He stares at his friend in disbelief. A part of him is convinced that this is a hallucination, maybe his guilt eating away at him. Brianna was gone. Dead. No one comes back from death.   
  
"I'm talking about your girlfriend sitting in a hospital bed, alive, right now, while you're here mourning her death."   
  
"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Josh sneers, jumping to his feet. Rage surges through his veins. Death is not some game, death is permanent. Death is, well..death. He grabs Matt roughly by the collar, shoving him back against the wall. Matt's eyes widen in shock. His breath grows shallow.   
  
"She's alive! I don't know how she is...but she is! I saw her with my own eyes!" Matt manages.  
  
"That's impossible." Josh spat, "She near-well died in my arms."   
  
"Let me call Katy. She's with Brianna. She can give you proof." he offers.   
  
Josh releases his grip on Matt, slowly backing away. He nods, pulling out his phone. When Katy answers, she tells Matt that the doctor is with Brianna at the moment. She offers to send him a picture in a few minutes. Matt accepts, turning towards Josh. 

Josh's expression changes after looking at the picture. There she was, scowling at a nurse. Josh smiles at the picture, remembering the first night they spent together. From the moment they met in the dark, dingy basement, he could tell that the sass was strong with her. He darts past Matt and down the stairs. Ignoring his mother's protests, he slips out the front door.   
  
He is unsure whether or not Matt was following him, or if his mother had stopped him and demanded answers, but he didn't care.   
  
  
When he arrives at the hospital, he rushes directly to the front desk.   
  
"I need help finding someone." Josh states quickly.   
  
"Who..?" the nurse urges.   
  
"Her name's Brianna."  
  
"Brianna...?"  
  
"Yes, Brianna."  
  
"Sir, I'm going to need a last name." she raises an eyebrow at him. 

"Brianna..." Josh closes his mouth. Had he ever asked for her last name? Seeing as her last name was the last thing on his mind while trying to keep her safe, he had never even thought to ask.   
  
"Bridges." a voice finishes his sentence.   
  
John twists his neck to peer back at the unfamiliar voice. A man with bright blue eyes, probably in his mid forties stood there, carefully examining Josh.   
  
"Uh yeah..Bridges." Josh repeats, turning his attention back towards the nurse.   
  
The nurse mutters a room number to Josh, he nods, His mind is completely entangled with the man standing before him. 

"Who are you?" Josh demands.   
  
"Paul." the man smiles, "I'm a family friend." 

Although Josh wants to press the man further, he needs to see Brianna. Josh nods, walking away from the man. As he turns away, the hairs on the back of his neck rise. There's something oddly familiar about the man, but he just can't place his finger on it. He ignores the urge to turn around and demand answers.   
  
When he finally reaches the room, he braces himself for what lies through the door. As he twists the doorknob, he can hear Brianna muttering to herself. He cannot make out what she is saying.  
  
"Red will spill at mystic, on the evening of diamonds.." she trails off, "Evening of diamonds..."  
  
Brianna stops as she hears footsteps approaching, they are heavier than Katy's. Her eyes stay locked on the other side of the room. She is all alone in the room, a wall is blocking the door.   
  
Josh pushes open the door, slowly stepping across the barrier and into the room. He takes a few more steps, and then he sees her. His breath catches in his throat and his pace quickens, taking long strides across the room.   
  
Brianna stares up at him in disbelief. Maybe he was just an illusion, her mind playing tricks on her again.   
  
"Jo-" she starts, only to be cut off by Josh's soft lips pressed against hers.  
  
He gently captures her face with his hands, his lips fit together with hers like a perfect puzzle piece, just as he remembers. They break away. He stares at her face, admiring every detail for a moment before staring into her eyes. He stares back at him in awe.   
  
"You're alive." he finally manages after a long moment of silence.   
  
His eyes flicker across her face once again, his mind refusing to believe that she was okay.   
  
"I was clinically dead for eight minutes." Brianna says blankly, admiring every feature of his own face, but focusing on those eyes she loves so much, "The moment I came back all I could think about was you."   
  
"When I thought you died I-" Josh whispers, "I can't imagine living in a world without you."   
  
"So you don't hate me?" Brianna asks nervously.   
  
Her eyes fall to her lap, breaking away from his for the first time. She is still ashamed of herself, disgusted with the lengths she almost went with a deranged serial killer. How could someone ever love  _that_?  
  
"I could never hate you." Josh replies, his eyes serious, "I don't care what happened back at that God forsaken farmhouse, I need you."   
  
Brianna's eyes flicker back up to match his. Her heartbeat quickens.   
  
"When you died..I realized how much you meant to me. How much I regretted my actions towards you for the past couple days. You took a bullet for me for God sakes!"   
  
Brianna smiles, "I can't imagine living in a world without you either."   
  
"You saved my life." Josh whispers, "I can't ever repay you for that."   
  
"You already have." she smiles, "You helped me escape, remember?"  
  
"This hardly compares." he argues.   
  
"Josh...can we not fight about this right now?" she pleads.  
  
He smiles, respecting her request, "I missed you so much."  
  
"It's only been a couple hours." she laughs.   
  
"I know, but it felt like years."  
  
Another long silence passes, only this time, it's a comfortable silence. They are completely consumed with each other, neither one of them wanting to move.  
  
"I realized something else today.." Josh trails off.  
  
"What?" she asks softly.   
  
"How much I love you." he smiles with soft eyes.   
  
Brianna smiles widely for the first time in a long time. This time it's her who leans into Josh, passionately pressing her lips to his. Her hands tangle in his messy black hair. The two are completely and utterly engulfed in each other when they hear the sound of heels click-clacking along the tiled floor. They break apart in a hurry when they hear a woman yelling Brianna's name. Brianna reluctantly pulls away from Josh, the farthest either one of them has been away from each other in the past few minutes.   
  
Josh is smiling to himself, almost tempted to touch his lips, when a blonde woman rushes into the room. By the striking resemblance, he assumes it's Brianna's mother.  
  
"Oh my God Brianna, I am so sorry!! The traffic today is unbelievable! There was an accident and-" Brianna's mother stops talking, her eyes shifting to the man with strange blue and black hair who is sitting oddly close to her daughter, "Who are you?"   
  
Josh opens his mouth to introduce himself, but is cut off by Brianna.   
  
"This is Josh. He was kidnapped with me. He helped me escape." she adds quickly.   
  
Before Josh can say anything, a nurse walks into the room.   
  
"I'm sorry, I'm going to need you all to leave the room while I check a few things. It'll only take a minute." she states.   
  
Brianna flinches slightly as Josh stands up, the empty spot on the hospital bed slightly discomforting to her. She nearly reaches out to grab his hand, afraid that she would never see him again once he leaves the room. Brianna's mother silently examines the pair; the way Brianna's eyes turn sad as Josh stood, and the way Josh's eyes softened, reassuring her that he would be back. As they leave the room, Josh finds it unusual that Brianna's mother did not argue to stay. She was family, after all. He is sure that they would have made an exception. Yet, here they stood, together in the dimly lit hallway, coughs echoing across the bare walls every now and then.   
  
Josh stands stiffly in silence, clearly uncomfortable about being alone with this foreign stranger, Brianna's mother no less. Josh fixes his eyes on a nearly patient being wheeled into emergency surgery. The woman looks to be around Brianna's age, with the same fair blonde hair and porcelain skin. He watches as the doctors scramble to keep the girl breathing. Josh notices the pronounced stab wound on the woman's chest. He wonders what possibly would have happened to the woman, what vicious man would do such a thing. The sight of the woman is enough to remind Josh of Brianna's state only a few hours prior. And yet he watches, curious what the fate of the stranger will be in the end, curious if she will be as fortunate as Brianna.   
  
"Is that what she looked like?" Brianna's mother asks, finally breaking the silence between the two.   
  
Josh contemplates lying for a second, telling her that Brianna was in much better condition, but she would know the truth. Josh sighs, nodding in response, not wanting to go into detail.   
  
"I never thought I would be in this situation. I mean, I hear about this kind of stuff on the news, but I never once gave any thought of something so morbid happening to my own daughter..." she trails off.   
  
"No one ever does." Josh mutters, his voice soft and low.   
  
"What did they do to her?" her mother finally breaks.  
  
Josh bites his lip, not wanting to relive the memories, the dark place that he assumed he would die in only days ago.   
  
"Nothing while I was with her." Josh replies honestly, "I wouldn't let them touch her."   
  
Brianna's mother nods, studying Josh's face carefully to determine whether or not he was telling the truth. She takes notice to his healing split lip and black eye, but decides against bringing it into conversation. 

"She told me a lot about you, you know."   
  
"She did?" Josh ponders.   
  
"You must have made some impression on her. All she could think about was saving you. She told me that you saved her life, on more than one occasion. I just wanted to thank you, Josh. Thank you for keeping my daughter safe while I couldn't."   
  
Her voice is sincere and true, surprising Josh a little.   
  
When the nurse allows them back into the room, Brianna's mother stays behind.   
  
"It's you she wants to talk to." she smiles at him, "I've got to talk to Katy anyways."   
  
Josh flashes a smile her way, silently thanking her. When she turns to walk away, Josh heads back into Brianna's room. Brianna immediately takes notice that Josh is alone, taking advantage of the situation.   
  
"I thought you left me." she pouts.  
  
Josh is confused, growing nervous.  _What did I do?_  He thinks to himself.  
  
"I would never leave you." he protests softly.  
  
"How could you protect me for days when we were kidnapped, but not now?" she argues, ignoring his previous statement.  
  
Josh raises and eyebrow at her. Brianna huffs in annoyance.   
  
"I can't believe this! I just saved your life, took a bullet for you! How could you leave me all alone, vulnerable against those blood-curdling needles of death!" she exclaims.  
  
"I don't understand you, Bridges." Josh laughs,"You saved my life, but then almost gave me a heart attack."  
  
Brianna smiles up at him as he laughs. Adoration shines in her eyes, sparkling like stars on the darkest of nights.  
  
"Blood curdling needles of death?" Josh chuckles, "So dramatic! Have you ever considered writing?"   
  
"Shut up Ramsay." Brianna smirks, "I would be a wonderful author."   
  
Josh walks closer to the bed, his heart racing. He sits down in the same spot as before, Brianna immediately shifts closer to him.   
  
"Where does this leave us?" Brianna asks.   
  
Josh is taken off guard by her question.   
  
"Where do you want us to be?" he asks her.   
  
"I feel safe when I'm with you." Brianna starts, "I don't want to let go of that just because we aren't in constant danger anymore. I know what I did to you was wrong. Trust me, I regret it every day. But, if it's okay with you, I'd like to make it up to you. I want to get to know you better."   
  
Josh can swear his heart stops beating for a moment. He gently takes her hands in his, tenderly rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. Brianna's stomach twists with joy, finally her life means something.  
  
"You don't have to make anything up to me." he whispers, "What you did in the past, it doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is the future. I want to get to know you better too."   
  
"Good because I think I fell in love with you somewhere along the way too." Brianna smiles.   
  
And just like that, Brianna's life seems to reach it's climax. With so many plot twists and turns leading up to this moment, Brianna is finally happy. As Brianna's lips meet his, Josh finally feels loved, accepted, important to someone who doesn't care about what he does for a living. Who knew that being held against his will could be such a good thing? In that moment, neither one of them cares about what lies ahead. All that matters is the present, because they know they can survive whatever life throws their way, if they face it together.


	23. The Light At the End of the Tunnel

Who knew that being held captive by a couple of lunatics who were probably dropped a few dozen times on their heads as a baby could completely change your life for the better?

Josh and Brianna do.   
  
Brianna sits cross legged, the sunshine shining through the window and reflecting off of her eyes. She tosses her head forward with laughter, gleaming at some stupid joke. Josh sits across from her, stealing looks of adoration every once in a while. He is completely and utterly fascinated by her, and she is by him. Brianna pauses, noticing his lingering stare on her. She sees an opportunity and takes it.  
  
"Uno!" she screams in victory.   
  
Josh snaps out of his trance, furrowing his eyebrows together.  
  
"What? That's impossible! You had five more cards than me a minute ago!" he protests.  
  
"Have you been a different planet for the past few minutes or something?" she shamelessly teases him, "Or did you just see something you like?" She leans in close, practically whispering now, "Either way...I won."   
  
Josh smiles, gently taking her face in his hands, and kissing her lips with such fiery passion, that he's surprised the room doesn't burn down around them.   
  
When the couple finally break apart, Josh whispers, "You're wrong."   
  
Brianna raises an eyebrow, tilting her head in confusion. She is about to question what he means, opening her mouth only to be cut off by him.   
  
"I won." he states, "Because you're okay, and you're mine."  
  
"Y'know Ramsay," she states, "I don't like being objectified."   
  
"Oh really?" he smirks back.   
  
"And if anything...you're mine."   
  
The simple word sends a shock of electricity through his body.  
  
"Claim me then." he dares her.   
  
She leans into him, slowly capturing his lips with her own. They stay that way for a while, completely engulfed with each other. When oxygen becomes an issue, the couple break apart. Brianna smoothly catches his bottom lip between her teeth, causing a soft moan of appreciation from her partner.  
  
Josh is speechless after that, unsure of what to say, or how to react. She smiles at him, gently bringing her hand up to her soft lips, touching them gingerly.   
  
"Cheater." he accuses, and rightfully so.  
  
"What?" she asks.  
  
"You cheated. Four of your cards are up your sleeve." he laughs, "What do you take me for, stupid? I saw you do it!"   
  
"What are you, seven?" she pokes fun at him, "Can't you just accept that I won? Fair and square."  
  
"Nope. You cheated."  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Who's seven now?"   
  
"Still you." Brianna smirks.  
  
"Show me the inside of your sleeve then. Prove it." Josh challenges her.   
  
"Make me." she challenges back.   
  
Josh attacks her...with tickles. While doing so, he manages to pull four cards from her cardigan. She giggles uncontrollably, pleading for him to stop, screaming no when he finds the evidence of her cheating. He holds up the cards with an obnoxious smirk.   
  
"Fair and square huh?" he taunts.   
  
"Oh just shut up and kiss me." she orders, practically throwing herself at him.   
  
The cards fall from Josh's grip, scattering around their bodies. Brianna tackles Josh to the ground, assaulting his body with passionate kisses. She notices the deck of cards, now a mess around them, but doesn't care. The overwhelming sea of emotions coursing between the two is enough to convince Brianna. To finally convince her that not all men are monsters. Of course she knew that. She knew the second she met Josh..it just took her awhile to realize it.   
  
And in that moment, she knows what she wants.  
  
"Josh," she moans, "I want you."   
  
Josh pauses, glancing up at the girl he loves. He knows the immense amount of both emotional and physical torment that she has been through. He's aware she has been nearly raped countless times, and can completely understand if she doesn't feel comfortable with the idea of sleeping with anyone.   
  
"Are you sure?" Josh asks, gently rubbing his thumb against her hip bone in a soothing manner.  
  
"More than anything." she insists, her hands already working on unbuckling his belt.  
  
"If you feel uncomfortable, tell me. I don't want to pressure you into anything you don't want to do." he smiles softly up at her.  
  
"Josh, we have been together..officially, for well over two and a half years. I trust you with my life. And right now, I need this. And I'm not saying this to use you as a remedy for my self pity as some girls do. I need this because I love you. I want to be yours, completely."   
  
"You are mine completely." Josh smiles.  
  
"I want to be yours completely..physically. I am one-hundred-and-ten percent sure about my decision."   
  
"I love you so much it hurts."   
  
She smiles, leaning down to kiss him. Her heart is beating fast Josh kisses up her neck, sucking on her sensitive skin that he knew oh-too-well. Her eyes flutter shut, her body filling with desire as his hands move beneath her shirt, pulling it over her head. Josh's eyes marvel over her body for a second before he gently flips her. Now he hovers over her. Brianna's hands instantly claw at his shirt, gripping it and effortlessly pulling it over his head. He leans down to kiss up and down her stomach. Brianna moans in pleasure at the soft, hot kisses attacking her body. After a few moments, she grabs Josh's head, bringing it up to hers. Their lips lock in yet another passionate kiss. Brianna can't take it anymore.   
  
She pushes Josh back, sitting up with him, bringing her hands back to his pants. He continues placing hot, wet kisses along her collarbone as she unzips his pants, pulling them down along with his underwear. She marvels at how beautiful he is. He gently pushes her back down, fumbling with the black leggings she is wearing. He pulls them off, gently caressing every inch of her as he does. He tosses them aside, staring down at her.   
  
"You're so beautiful." he whispers.  
  
"You are too." she whispers back, her eyes full of love.   
  
"We should probably move to the bed." Josh laughs, "But if you want to stop it's okay I-"  
  
"Don't ask stupid questions." she orders.   
  
She giggles as Josh helps her up. She squeals with joy, silently thanking God that they were home alone, as Josh picks her up, tossing her down on the bed. She gazes up at him, taking in every small detail on his face.   
  
"Looks like I forgot something." Josh smirks, reaching around to unhook her bra.   
  
He pulls it off and her cheeks instantly turn a deep shade of red. He leans down, kissing her once again. He feels her relax, moulding her body into his. Her once slightly trembling body is now full of excitement.   
  
"I'll be gentle." Josh promises.   
  
Brianna nods, bracing herself and kissing Josh deeply.   
  
***  
  
Neither one of them knows how much time has passed as they fall back on the bed in pure bliss. Brianna smiles, laying her head on Josh's chest. Josh wraps his arms snugly around her and kisses the top of her head. A few seconds pass in silence as Brianna catches her breath. When she regains a steady heartbeat, she tilts her head up to kiss Josh quickly.   
  
"I love you." she mumbles into his chest.   
  
"And I love you." he replies, eyes full of happiness.   
  
"Do you have a show tonight?"   
  
"Tomorrow."   
  
"Good because I'm tired."   
  
"Me too."  
  
"Who would have thought we would not only fall for each other, but survive something as horrifying as being held captive by some complete whackjob." Brianna smiles. 

"I did." Josh gleams back, "I knew you would survive this. You're so smart, sometimes too smart for your own good."  
  
Josh chuckles when Brianna lightly whacks his chest with her hand in protest.   
  
"And you're strong. You endured being pushed around like a little play toy, treated like a doll. It amazes me how strong you are. Hell, your life was in danger every single day and you still managed to survive, and take me with you."   
  
"They hurt you more than me." Brianna whispers in a small voice, "They beat you, tortured you-"   
  
"Sure, they did beat me, but they did even worse to you. The way he looked at you..touched you.." Josh trails off, "I wanted to rip his head off then and there."   
  
"I'm okay." Brianna bites her lip, holding back the tears building up in the corners of her eyes.   
  
"Look at me." Josh whispers.   
  
Brianna peers up into his eyes. 

"As much as you say you're fine, you're not. You can talk to me, Brianna. Let it all out. I'm here to listen, not to judge." he speaks with soft reassurance, tenderly brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.   
  
Brianna lets out a soft sob.   
  
"I kissed him, willingly..and you found a way to forgive me. Even if at first it was merely a distraction tactic...I let myself go. I wasn't thinking and I just wanted to feel affection. When you tore me away from you, all I could think about was being in your arms, kissing you again. But..that isn't an excuse. I did what I did selfishly, I don't deserve you, Josh."   
  
Brianna sits up, tearing her watery eyes away from Josh. She can't bear to see the disappoint on his face. Josh sits up too, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up. He walks around to the edge of the bed, kneeling in front of her. Without a word, her brings his thumb to her cheek, wiping away her tears, a symbol of how damaged she is inside. In that moment, Josh vows that he will fix her. He will love her with the entirety of his heart and never hurt her. Her eyes remain on her lap, covered by sheets.

"The more you keep it inside, the more you'll hate yourself. " Josh whispers, "Talk to me, Brianna."   
  
"I...David convinced me that you didn't love me. I wanted to hurt you, Josh. I let myself believe him. I didn't trust you." she cries.   
  
"That's okay." Josh smiles.   
  
"That's okay?!" her eyes meet his in utter disbelief, "I didn't believe in you when I should have! I convinced myself that it would be okay to kiss David...even though he was the reason I was in that situation to begin with! How the hell is that okay? And yet....here you are. You act as if I have done nothing wrong. You hold me in your arms like I'm the most important thing in the world to you. I don't deserve this! I deserve to be alone. You can't trust me!"   
  
Josh brings his hands up to her own, gently rubbing her knuckles with his thumbs.   
  
"Brianna.." he trails off, "You don't have to live in the past. I forgive you. If the kiss is the only thing bothering you.."   
  
"I don't want you to forgive me! I don't deserve to be forgiven!" Brianna cuts him off.  
  
" Hey." Josh whispers, "You're a survivor. You were kidnapped, nearly raped several times, and yet here you are! You're alive and you're free. You're strong and you're brave as hell. Don't let yourself dwell on the past. Far worse things could have happened..but they didn't. Look at us. Three years we have been together now. Three years of laughing at my stupid jokes and playing stupid card games. I want you to just think about your future now. Think about what's to come. Because in these three years, I've learned something about you. You're a fighter. You never give up, never stop fighting. You're the strongest woman I have ever met."  
  
"You're wrong." she replies simply.

There is no break in her voice, no hesitation what so ever. The fact that Brianna thinks so lowly of herself only drives Josh to prove to her that she is important. Still, her eyes refuse to meet his. He opens his mouth to speak, to convince her that she is wrong. She cuts him off before he has the chance to get a word out.   
  
"I can't just think of my future." she pauses, "My future is dark and dreary. There's no light at the end of the tunnel for me to escape to, and there's definitely no happy ending. I'll be alone...maybe even own a few dozen cats. But..that isn't what I want to think about.."  
  
Josh studies her face carefully, wondering if he's missing a piece of the puzzle. Maybe he isn't reading between the lines properly.

"All I can think about is our future, together." she whispers, her eyes finally meeting his.   
  
 As the words fully register, Josh is at a loss for words. He is unable to tear his eyes away from hers. In that moment, Josh doesn't think he has ever loved Brianna as much as he loves her now. He silently studies every feature of her face. Her golden locks, loosely draped around her shoulders, slightly messy from his hands in her hair. Her irresistible lips, so naturally pink and plump that any man would jump at the slightest opportunity to kiss them. Her cheeks, flushed after making love to him. Her milky white skin, and the way the moonlight gently caresses every inch of her, making her truly radiant. Finally, her sapphire blue eyes, like gems shining in the moonlight. Josh silently wonder how she possibly could be his. How someone so truly beautiful, inside and out, could want to spend the rest of their life with him. Then, he decides to take a leap of faith. He was planning this under different circumstances, but given Brianna's sudden confession, he decides there is no better time like the present. He leans forward, moving his hands to cup her face. Taking a deep breath, he runs through three words over and over again in his mind. Finally, he gains the courage to speak.   
  
 _"Marry me, then."_

  
  
   



	24. The Light At the End of the Tunnel

Who knew that being held captive by a couple of lunatics who were probably dropped a few dozen times on their heads as a baby could completely change your life for the better?

Josh and Brianna do.   
  
Brianna sits cross legged, the sunshine shining through the window and reflecting off of her eyes. She tosses her head forward with laughter, gleaming at some stupid joke. Josh sits across from her, stealing looks of adoration every once in a while. He is completely and utterly fascinated by her, and she is by him. Brianna pauses, noticing his lingering stare on her. She sees an opportunity and takes it.  
  
"Uno!" she screams in victory.   
  
Josh snaps out of his trance, furrowing his eyebrows together.  
  
"What? That's impossible! You had five more cards than me a minute ago!" he protests.  
  
"Have you been a different planet for the past few minutes or something?" she shamelessly teases him, "Or did you just see something you like?" She leans in close, practically whispering now, "Either way...I won."   
  
Josh smiles, gently taking her face in his hands, and kissing her lips with such fiery passion, that he's surprised the room doesn't burn down around them.   
  
When the couple finally break apart, Josh whispers, "You're wrong."   
  
Brianna raises an eyebrow, tilting her head in confusion. She is about to question what he means, opening her mouth only to be cut off by him.   
  
"I won." he states, "Because you're okay, and you're mine."  
  
"Y'know Ramsay," she states, "I don't like being objectified."   
  
"Oh really?" he smirks back.   
  
"And if anything...you're mine."   
  
The simple word sends a shock of electricity through his body.  
  
"Claim me then." he dares her.   
  
She leans into him, slowly capturing his lips with her own. They stay that way for a while, completely engulfed with each other. When oxygen becomes an issue, the couple break apart. Brianna smoothly catches his bottom lip between her teeth, causing a soft moan of appreciation from her partner.  
  
Josh is speechless after that, unsure of what to say, or how to react. She smiles at him, gently bringing her hand up to her soft lips, touching them gingerly.   
  
"Cheater." he accuses, and rightfully so.  
  
"What?" she asks.  
  
"You cheated. Four of your cards are up your sleeve." he laughs, "What do you take me for, stupid? I saw you do it!"   
  
"What are you, seven?" she pokes fun at him, "Can't you just accept that I won? Fair and square."  
  
"Nope. You cheated."  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Who's seven now?"   
  
"Still you." Brianna smirks.  
  
"Show me the inside of your sleeve then. Prove it." Josh challenges her.   
  
"Make me." she challenges back.   
  
Josh attacks her...with tickles. While doing so, he manages to pull four cards from her cardigan. She giggles uncontrollably, pleading for him to stop, screaming no when he finds the evidence of her cheating. He holds up the cards with an obnoxious smirk.   
  
"Fair and square huh?" he taunts.   
  
"Oh just shut up and kiss me." she orders, practically throwing herself at him.   
  
The cards fall from Josh's grip, scattering around their bodies. Brianna tackles Josh to the ground, assaulting his body with passionate kisses. She notices the deck of cards, now a mess around them, but doesn't care. The overwhelming sea of emotions coursing between the two is enough to convince Brianna. To finally convince her that not all men are monsters. Of course she knew that. She knew the second she met Josh..it just took her awhile to realize it.   
  
And in that moment, she knows what she wants.  
  
"Josh," she moans, "I want you."   
  
Josh pauses, glancing up at the girl he loves. He knows the immense amount of both emotional and physical torment that she has been through. He's aware she has been nearly raped countless times, and can completely understand if she doesn't feel comfortable with the idea of sleeping with anyone.   
  
"Are you sure?" Josh asks, gently rubbing his thumb against her hip bone in a soothing manner.  
  
"More than anything." she insists, her hands already working on unbuckling his belt.  
  
"If you feel uncomfortable, tell me. I don't want to pressure you into anything you don't want to do." he smiles softly up at her.  
  
"Josh, we have been together..officially, for well over two and a half years. I trust you with my life. And right now, I need this. And I'm not saying this to use you as a remedy for my self pity as some girls do. I need this because I love you. I want to be yours, completely."   
  
"You are mine completely." Josh smiles.  
  
"I want to be yours completely..physically. I am one-hundred-and-ten percent sure about my decision."   
  
"I love you so much it hurts."   
  
She smiles, leaning down to kiss him. Her heart is beating fast Josh kisses up her neck, sucking on her sensitive skin that he knew oh-too-well. Her eyes flutter shut, her body filling with desire as his hands move beneath her shirt, pulling it over her head. Josh's eyes marvel over her body for a second before he gently flips her. Now he hovers over her. Brianna's hands instantly claw at his shirt, gripping it and effortlessly pulling it over his head. He leans down to kiss up and down her stomach. Brianna moans in pleasure at the soft, hot kisses attacking her body. After a few moments, she grabs Josh's head, bringing it up to hers. Their lips lock in yet another passionate kiss. Brianna can't take it anymore.   
  
She pushes Josh back, sitting up with him, bringing her hands back to his pants. He continues placing hot, wet kisses along her collarbone as she unzips his pants, pulling them down along with his underwear. She marvels at how beautiful he is. He gently pushes her back down, fumbling with the black leggings she is wearing. He pulls them off, gently caressing every inch of her as he does. He tosses them aside, staring down at her.   
  
"You're so beautiful." he whispers.  
  
"You are too." she whispers back, her eyes full of love.   
  
"We should probably move to the bed." Josh laughs, "But if you want to stop it's okay I-"  
  
"Don't ask stupid questions." she orders.   
  
She giggles as Josh helps her up. She squeals with joy, silently thanking God that they were home alone, as Josh picks her up, tossing her down on the bed. She gazes up at him, taking in every small detail on his face.   
  
"Looks like I forgot something." Josh smirks, reaching around to unhook her bra.   
  
He pulls it off and her cheeks instantly turn a deep shade of red. He leans down, kissing her once again. He feels her relax, moulding her body into his. Her once slightly trembling body is now full of excitement.   
  
"I'll be gentle." Josh promises.   
  
Brianna nods, bracing herself and kissing Josh deeply.   
  
***  
  
Neither one of them knows how much time has passed as they fall back on the bed in pure bliss. Brianna smiles, laying her head on Josh's chest. Josh wraps his arms snugly around her and kisses the top of her head. A few seconds pass in silence as Brianna catches her breath. When she regains a steady heartbeat, she tilts her head up to kiss Josh quickly.   
  
"I love you." she mumbles into his chest.   
  
"And I love you." he replies, eyes full of happiness.   
  
"Do you have a show tonight?"   
  
"Tomorrow."   
  
"Good because I'm tired."   
  
"Me too."  
  
"Who would have thought we would not only fall for each other, but survive something as horrifying as being held captive by some complete whackjob." Brianna smiles. 

"I did." Josh gleams back, "I knew you would survive this. You're so smart, sometimes too smart for your own good."  
  
Josh chuckles when Brianna lightly whacks his chest with her hand in protest.   
  
"And you're strong. You endured being pushed around like a little play toy, treated like a doll. It amazes me how strong you are. Hell, your life was in danger every single day and you still managed to survive, and take me with you."   
  
"They hurt you more than me." Brianna whispers in a small voice, "They beat you, tortured you-"   
  
"Sure, they did beat me, but they did even worse to you. The way he looked at you..touched you.." Josh trails off, "I wanted to rip his head off then and there."   
  
"I'm okay." Brianna bites her lip, holding back the tears building up in the corners of her eyes.   
  
"Look at me." Josh whispers.   
  
Brianna peers up into his eyes. 

"As much as you say you're fine, you're not. You can talk to me, Brianna. Let it all out. I'm here to listen, not to judge." he speaks with soft reassurance, tenderly brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.   
  
Brianna lets out a soft sob.   
  
"I kissed him, willingly..and you found a way to forgive me. Even if at first it was merely a distraction tactic...I let myself go. I wasn't thinking and I just wanted to feel affection. When you tore me away from you, all I could think about was being in your arms, kissing you again. But..that isn't an excuse. I did what I did selfishly, I don't deserve you, Josh."   
  
Brianna sits up, tearing her watery eyes away from Josh. She can't bear to see the disappoint on his face. Josh sits up too, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up. He walks around to the edge of the bed, kneeling in front of her. Without a word, her brings his thumb to her cheek, wiping away her tears, a symbol of how damaged she is inside. In that moment, Josh vows that he will fix her. He will love her with the entirety of his heart and never hurt her. Her eyes remain on her lap, covered by sheets.

"The more you keep it inside, the more you'll hate yourself. " Josh whispers, "Talk to me, Brianna."   
  
"I...David convinced me that you didn't love me. I wanted to hurt you, Josh. I let myself believe him. I didn't trust you." she cries.   
  
"That's okay." Josh smiles.   
  
"That's okay?!" her eyes meet his in utter disbelief, "I didn't believe in you when I should have! I convinced myself that it would be okay to kiss David...even though he was the reason I was in that situation to begin with! How the hell is that okay? And yet....here you are. You act as if I have done nothing wrong. You hold me in your arms like I'm the most important thing in the world to you. I don't deserve this! I deserve to be alone. You can't trust me!"   
  
Josh brings his hands up to her own, gently rubbing her knuckles with his thumbs.   
  
"Brianna.." he trails off, "You don't have to live in the past. I forgive you. If the kiss is the only thing bothering you.."   
  
"I don't want you to forgive me! I don't deserve to be forgiven!" Brianna cuts him off.  
  
" Hey." Josh whispers, "You're a survivor. You were kidnapped, nearly raped several times, and yet here you are! You're alive and you're free. You're strong and you're brave as hell. Don't let yourself dwell on the past. Far worse things could have happened..but they didn't. Look at us. Three years we have been together now. Three years of laughing at my stupid jokes and playing stupid card games. I want you to just think about your future now. Think about what's to come. Because in these three years, I've learned something about you. You're a fighter. You never give up, never stop fighting. You're the strongest woman I have ever met."  
  
"You're wrong." she replies simply.

There is no break in her voice, no hesitation what so ever. The fact that Brianna thinks so lowly of herself only drives Josh to prove to her that she is important. Still, her eyes refuse to meet his. He opens his mouth to speak, to convince her that she is wrong. She cuts him off before he has the chance to get a word out.   
  
"I can't just think of my future." she pauses, "My future is dark and dreary. There's no light at the end of the tunnel for me to escape to, and there's definitely no happy ending. I'll be alone...maybe even own a few dozen cats. But..that isn't what I want to think about.."  
  
Josh studies her face carefully, wondering if he's missing a piece of the puzzle. Maybe he isn't reading between the lines properly.

"All I can think about is our future, together." she whispers, her eyes finally meeting his.   
  
 As the words fully register, Josh is at a loss for words. He is unable to tear his eyes away from hers. In that moment, Josh doesn't think he has ever loved Brianna as much as he loves her now. He silently studies every feature of her face. Her golden locks, loosely draped around her shoulders, slightly messy from his hands in her hair. Her irresistible lips, so naturally pink and plump that any man would jump at the slightest opportunity to kiss them. Her cheeks, flushed after making love to him. Her milky white skin, and the way the moonlight gently caresses every inch of her, making her truly radiant. Finally, her sapphire blue eyes, like gems shining in the moonlight. Josh silently wonder how she possibly could be his. How someone so truly beautiful, inside and out, could want to spend the rest of their life with him. Then, he decides to take a leap of faith. He was planning this under different circumstances, but given Brianna's sudden confession, he decides there is no better time like the present. He leans forward, moving his hands to cup her face. Taking a deep breath, he runs through three words over and over again in his mind. Finally, he gains the courage to speak.   
  
 _"Marry me, then."_

  
  
 


	25. The Darkness..

Brianna peers down at Josh, her heart faltering at the sound of three simple words. How can five measly syllables mean so much, be so intimate? When Brianna fails to respond, Josh grows worried. 

  
"I wanted this to be more formal. You deserve that much. I'm sorry. It's just...I wasn't planning-not right now at least. I don't even have a rin-" Josh mutters nervously.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What?" Josh raises an eyebrow at her. Maybe he's just hallucinating.   
  
"Of course I'll marry you!" Brianna smiles widely.   
  
Josh has no words for the immense amount of _true_  happiness he feels in that moment. He leans forward, taking her in his arms and kissing her like he would never see her again. Sure, they have kissed before, many times..but this kiss..this kiss is different. Perhaps it's the way her lips seem to perfectly locked onto his, or maybe it's the fact that neither one of them can hide their overwhelming joy. After a few moments of complete and utter bliss, Brianna breaks away, capturing Josh in a gentle embrace, resting her head happily against his chest.   
  
"Don't think that this means I won't get you a ring." Josh laughs into her hair, "I am going to do this properly."   
  
***  
  
Two weeks later, Brianna walks around the bathroom pacing anxiously. Her hands are unsteady and her pace quickens as three minutes pass by. She is alone in the house aside from the radio that she had turned on in attempt to calm her nerves. Not much to her surprise, nothing seems to calm her down. She taps her fingers on the counter impatiently. Only seconds now. Josh had left the house about a half hour ago, but refused to tell her where he was going. Since it is already nearing 7pm, she can only assume he has gone to pick up dinner.   
  
Brianna hesitantly peers down. Her eyes widen as she carefully examines the small object in front of her, making sure that her eyes aren't playing tricks on her. When the object refuses to change, she knows she isn't hallucinating. An overwhelming wave of emotions hits her like a truck. She loses her balance, practically falling to the floor, the object still firmly in her grasp. Her eyes tear up and she is unsure if she is happy or terrified. She drops the small object on the cold tile under her, bringing her shaky hands down to her stomach. There is no denying it now. The one thing that she had dreaded only a few years ago, is finally a reality. Everything that she had worked so hard to prevent, that she had gone to great, incredibly risky, lengths to avoid....

She is going to have a baby.  
  
A silent tear falls down her face. What the hell is she going to do now? She can't have a child! She can't be a mother! She begins to hyperventilate, her hands never leaving her stomach. Using her feet, she forcefully kicks the small pregnancy test to the other side of the bathroom, as if it had done something to offend her. She looks down at her stomach, beginning to cry even harder, when suddenly a voice startles her.   
  
"Honey I'm home!" Josh's cheery voice rings through the house.   
  
Brianna's head snaps up. She frantically wipes away the newly fallen tears FROM her cheeks, lunging across the room to hide the pregnancy test, and scrambling to her feet. She can't let Josh see her like this. What will he think?  
  
She slips the pregnancy test in the cabinet under a few neatly folded towels. Finally, Josh enters the room.   
  
The smile plastered across his face quickly falters when he sees his bride-to-be's eyes bloodshot and puffy.   
  
"Are you alright?" his eyes meet hers, filled with concern.   
  
"Yeah." she lies, "I was just watching TV and a really sad movie was on. I came in here to clean up because my makeup smudged...as you can clearly see."   
  
"Well I have something that will cheer you up! Come on." he smiles, taking her hand in his.   
  
She follows his lead, putting on her coat and shoes. Finally, she questions what he has planned as she gets into his car.   
  
"It's a surprise." he smiles.   
  
For some reason his voice and charming smile alone is enough to lift Brianna's mood.   
  
She teases him the entire car ride, pestering him like a child, repeatedly asking him, "Where are we going? Are we there yet?"   
  
Despite her efforts, Josh refuses to give her a real answer.   
  
Finally, they turn into Mystic Park, a small secluded spot in town. Still, he refuses to tell Brianna why exactly he has brought her here. She follows Josh around to the trunk of his car, aimlessly like a lost puppy. Her heart begins to beat just a little bit faster when she spots the picnic basket hidden under a blanket in the trunk. His hand takes hers once again, carefully leading her towards a blanket positioned almost directly under the moon light.   
  
"I realize how incredibly cheesy this is but-" Josh starts.   
  
"It's perfect. I love it." Brianna interrupts.   
  
"I love you." Josh whispers, capturing Brianna's lips in a quick kiss, "Now come on, I made sandwiches."  
  
Brianna smiles, carefully taking a seat next to Josh. She watches in awe as Josh pulls out dishes upon dishes of food, along with some wine.   
  
When they finish their meal, Brianna leans into him, resting her head on his chest, They gaze up at the stars together, and Brianna feels like she is in a dream. She knows one thing for sure, she never wants to wake up.   
  
"The view here is so beautiful." she exclaims.   
  
"I know." Josh replies, his eyes fixed on her.   
  
Brianna blushes, still deciding between reality and delusion.   
  
"Walk with me." Josh smiles, helping Brianna to her feet.   
  
They walk along the shallow lake for a few minutes before Josh stops. He reaches into his back pocket, slowly taking a knee. Josh pulls out a beautiful diamond ring. Brianna gasps. She has never seen anything more beautiful. It must have cost him a fortune.  
  
"I told you I would do this properly." he smirks up at her, "I don't want to sound like a broken record here, but you need to believe every word I'm about to say. In my entire 31 years on this earth, I don't think I have ever met someone more intelligent and stronger than you. I remember the first day we met, we hated each other's guts! But there was no denying your beauty. The truth is, I loved the way you spoke to me that night. I could listen to you speak for hours on end and never get tired of it. It would be an honour to wake up to your beautiful face every day. Watch you rant about your boss, or some major death on a TV show that you love. I want to be there through the ups and the downs. I want to be there to comfort you. I want to be by your side until the very end. Because frankly, I don't see a future for myself aside from one with you. You are the light of my life Brianna Bridges, and the strongest woman that I know. Will you do me the honour of marrying me?"  
  
Brianna's heart drops. She can't do this. She can't keep something from Josh.   
  
 _What if he leaves me?_ she debates with herself.  _What if I don't want a baby?_ She begins to panic. No. She won't do this. This isn't Alex's baby. This isn't Eddie's baby. This isn't David's baby. This is Josh's baby. This is the man who she wants to spend the rest of her life with. She can do this. She can raise a family. Josh will be there for her.   
  
"Josh." Brianna croaks, "I'm pregnant."   
  
Josh slowly stands up, unsure if he had heard her correctly.   
  
"W-what?"he stutters.   
  
 _Oh God he hates me._ Brianna worries.   
  
"Are you-are you serious?"   
  
Brianna nods. She feels tears prickling the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment.  
  
"That's wonderful!" he exclaims, pulling Brianna into a hug.   
  
"You-you aren't mad?"   
  
"Of course not." Josh whispers, his eyes meeting hers, "This is great news. We're going to be a family!"  
  
"Of course I'll marry you." she sniffles happily, the knot in her stomach finally at ease.   
  
Josh smiles. The diamond stone shimmers in the moonlight as he carefully slips it on her finger. Brianna leans in, swinging her arms around his neck and giggling into the kiss.   
  
"I love you." Brianna whispers when they finally break apart.   
  
"And I love you." Josh gleams back at her.   
  
He drops to his knees, placing his hands gently on her stomach, "Daddy loves you too, little one."   
  
Brianna giggles, she can't believe how great her life is turning out to be. It seems too good to be true..  
  
"We'll get through this together. We always do." he promises, his eyes meeting hers.  
  
 _...but that's because it is._  
  
A gun shot sounds through the air, knocking Josh off of his feet. Brianna screams, and suddenly she is covered in Josh's blood.   
  
"Awww how sweet." an all too familiar voice echoes through the air.  
  
Brianna drops down to her knees, kneeling helplessly over Josh's body. He is losing blood fast-and a lot of it. Her hands are coated in his crimson red blood as she attempts to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding.  
  
"Oh relax, he won't die..not yet at least." the voice chuckles.   
  
"Brianna....run..." Josh croaks out, recognizing the man's voice, "Leave me.."  
  
No...no...Josh look at me! Don't you dare close your eyes." Brianna cries.  
  
"I love you." he struggles.   
  
Brianna leans down, giving Josh a passionate kiss. His lips are cold and weak as he tries to return the kiss.   
  
The dark figure emerges from the forest, making its way towards the broken couple.   
  
"I seemed to have hit an artery. Nothing a few hours in the operating room won't fix."   
  
Josh passes out from blood loss.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" Brianna screams, completely enraged. Although she never leaves Josh's body. Her back is to him as he draws nearer.  
  
"Well, my dear...you killed my only son." he shrugs, only a few feet away now.   
  
"So what now? You want revenge? You want to kill me?" she yells back at him, "Go right ahead. I shot your son in self defense!"   
  
"You say that like it changes things!" the man laughs, "I don't care how you did it! You killed my son. A man doesn't just forget about that. I swore I would avenge my son, and I'm going to do just that."   
  
"Why haven't you shot me yet, then?" Brianna demands.   
  
"Because that would be too easy." the man smirks, "I'm not here to murder you, Brianna. In fact, I admire your strength. I'm not an unreasonable man. I'm here to propose a deal."   
  
"A deal?" Brianna asks, "What makes you think I would make any deal with you?"  
  
"Why wouldn't you?" he chuckles, "The love of your life is dying. You know he won't live unless he receives immediate help."  
  
"What's the deal?" Brianna looks behind her for the first time. Bile inches up her throat at the sight of the man who had ruined her life.   
  
"It's about time you asked." David smirks, "It's quite simple, actually. Nothing has changed, Brianna. You see, I overheard you telling Josh the great news!"  
  
"You want my baby?!" Brianna gasps, her mouth hanging wide open.   
  
"Oh no of course not! I want  _you_." he chuckles, "Although, I do suppose that would include your child as well."   
  
"Why do you want me?"   
  
"Because love, a day hasn't gone by where I haven't thought about your beautiful plump lips on mine, practically devouring me. There's just something about you that captivates me, makes me want more..."  
  
"If I do this...you'll let him live?" she gulps, cutting him off before she threw up.  
  
"Of course! I am a man of my word." he smirks.  
  
"Don't do it......let me go..." Josh croaks from behind her, fading in and out of consciousness.   
  
He needs an ambulance now. Brianna peers around his body at the blood-stained carpet of grass.   
  
"I'm sorry." she whispers to him, a fresh tear leaving the corner of her eye and falling down her cheek, "I love you."  
  
"Well?" David asks, growing impatient.   
  
"No..." Josh protests.  
  
"Okay." she says in a small voice, "Just let me call an ambulance for him."   
  
"Fair enough." David smiles.   
  
"Brianna stop.." Josh continues to protest.  
   
Something in his smile sends nervous knots straight to Brianna's stomach. Something doesn't seem right here. He's acting suspicious, like he's hiding something. David notices Josh's attention completely focused on Brianna, and an idea immediately comes to his mind.   
  
"Oh Brianna?" he calls her, "We're going to need to seal the deal."   
  
Brianna gulps, nervously licking her lips. She nods, hesitantly closing the space between herself and David. The moment her lips touch his, she feels sick to her stomach. She keeps her eyes open the entire time, worried what would happen if she took her eyes off of his disgusting body for even a second.   
  
His lips feel abnormally different compared to the first time, chapped yes, but that isn't it. Sure the last kiss was rough too-but this...this is something entirely different. A few more tears roll down her cheeks as she stands there like a useless slave. David notices her lack of interest and pull away, scowling down at her.   
  
"Brianna..." Josh croaks, his voice nothing but a soft whimper now.   
  
It pains Brianna to even hear Josh is so much pain, she can't bring herself to move yet, she is frozen.   
  
"You call that a kiss?" David scoffs, "That felt a little too one-sided for me, love. What we did the first time....now that-that was a kiss."   
  
Josh groans in pain a few feet behind Brianna.   
  
"Please...just let me call him an ambulance.." Brianna pleads with a cry, "Please, please...I'll do anything!"  
  
"Anything, you say?" David raises an eyebrow at the broken, desperate girl in front of him.   
  
"Yes anything! Just let me call an ambulance." she rations. When David's facial expression doesn't change, Brianna drops down to her knees. 

"Please, David." she cries out in exasperation, "I will do anything you ask. I will be yours, I swear it!"  
  
David stares down at her in awe, shocked that she is ready to give up her entire life to him. The thing is..David knows the truth; he's sick. He's sick with a drive for power, revenge. Maybe once he was able to love, but that sure as hell isn't now. Sure, maybe just maybe, back at the farmhouse he had developed feelings for her.. _real_  feelings. Maybe in his own sick and twisted way, he wanted to be part of her life. But that was then, and this is now. He doesn't care the least bit about her anymore. He's blind with rage, his craving for revenge directing every step he takes. When he looks at her, all he sees is the women who murdered his son.  
  
"You're really willing to give up your entire life for him?"   
  
"YES." she screams, making direct eye contact with him.   
  
"Let me make myself clear right now, you will be mine. You will belong to no one but me. You will do what I ask when I ask it. You will never be with anyone else but me. You will never see Josh again, or even utter his name."  
  
Brianna peers over at Josh's unconscious body, pale as snow and covered in red by now. His vacant icy blue eyes stare back at her.   
  
"Yes! Yes I will be yours. I will never see him again! Please! He needs help, he only has minutes now!" she shrieks.   
   
"You have yourself a deal." David smiles, tossing her a cell phone. Sure, it is a blatant lie, but the five simple words are enough for her to be convinced.   
  
Brianna catches it, shaking uncontrollably as she dials 911. The tears wetting both of her eyes are nearly blinding to her now.   
  
"Hello, 911 what's your emergen-"  
  
Another gun shot rings through the air. Brianna scrambles to her feet, nearly falling face first into the muddy dirt beneath her feet. Her world seems to move in slow motion.  
  
The phone falls from her grasp, slipping through her fingers.   
  
"JOSH!" she screams, "NO NO NO!"   
  
She falls to the ground beside his body. A fresh gun shot wound marks its place in the middle of his chest.   
  
"JOSH!" she screams again, "JOSH! JOSH! WAKE UP!"   
  
She cries over his body, hugging his bloody body to hers as she falls back on the muddy forest floor.   
"  
YOU CAN'T BE GONE!" she cries, "YOU CAN'T-YOU CAN'T BE DEAD! YOU CAN'T BE DEAD! GOD JOSH NO WAKE UP!"   
  
David watches in the distance, a wicked smile stretched across his face.  _Finally.  
  
_ "YOU PROMISED!" she yells at Josh's lifeless body, "YOU PROMISED ME! You...you promised me forever.."  
  
"I just found two dead bodies at mystic park!" David fakes, picking up the phone.   
  
He hangs up before Brianna can say another word.   
  
Brianna reluctantly leaves Josh's body, her tear stained face glaring at David. She stands up, fearlessly marching over to where he stands.   
  
"YOU FUCKING MONSTER!" She screams.   
  
"You took my life away...and I'm about to take yours away from you too." David stares holes into her head.   
  
"What are you going to do, huh? Shoot me>" she taunts him, "Go ahead. DO IT. SHOOT ME!"   
  
"Now what fun would that be? Put you out of your misery so quickly? That hardly seems fair."   
  
David smiles, pointing the gun at Brianna's stomach, and pulling the trigger without a second thought.  
  
Brianna screams, falling down in a lifeless heap. She screams, her hands pressed to her stomach.  
  
"You're a monster. No one will ever love you." the words struggle to leave Brianna's mouth.   
  
"Have a nice life, love." David smirks, pointing the gun at his head and pulling the trigger.

Brianna can't tear her eyes away from him as her vision blurs. Her eyes frantically search for Josh's body. Suddenly, a phrase plays through her head. The voice sounds like a hidden recording of a mental patient. Now, she understands.   
 **  
red is everywhere,  
there's no escaping it,   
the screams, the tears, the pain,  
there's no escaping it,  
red will spill at MYSTIC,  
on the evening of DIAMONDS,  
there's no escaping it,  
blood will shed, tears will spill,  
he will not escape**."

Josh is dead, Josh proposed to her and now he's dead. Josh proposed to her. Josh is dead. And now their unborn baby is too.

Brianna prays that she never wakes up from this. She prays that she dies. At least then she'll be where she belongs; in Josh's loving arms.She should've known. She she have known that she was just living in a fool's paradise, just waiting to be engulfed by the inevitable darkness.   
  
Her eyes finally find his limp body.  _I'm sorry_ she thinks silently to herself  _it should have been me. I should have died three years ago like I was supposed to. I am so sorry Josh. Even if I do survive this, I can't live in this world without you. You promised me forever. Death will not separate us. I'll see you soon. I love you._

Brianna's baby blue eyes slowly shut, one last tear rolling down her cheek. Her stomach feels as if it has been ripped open, but that's the least of her concern.   
  
A gun shot rings through the air. Brianna doesn't even flinch. She feels a new wet substance on her face and she weakly smiles to herself. The beast is finally dead. With that, her body shuts down. She can hear birds softly singing happily in the background as she loses consciousness.  _We'll be together again, I promise._

   
  



	26. Epilogue - Goodbye, My Love

_"Dear Josh,_   
  
_It has been 365 days since you left. An entire year without you, yet I still wake up every morning, expecting you to be at my side. 365 is such a big number, and knowing that every day the number will increase is torture..but I manage._   
  
_I want you to know that David is dead. He shot himself right after shooting us. Turns out you weren't the only person he murdered. Anna is gone too. She died in the hospital right after we got out. I don't think I ever told you.._   
  
_She committed suicide, even left a note. The note was a warning that I chose to ignore..and because of that, it cost you your life. I'm sorry for that-_   
  
_But enough depressing crap. You would probably tell me that this isn't my fault by using your charm while distracting me with kisses.._   
  
_Oh how I miss your kisses. Your lips..the way your eyes would squint when you laughed..and well...you._   
  
_I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start from where we left off._   
  
_I want to start off by saying the only reason I kissed David was to spare your life. I realize how that the last image you have..had...of me was my lips on his. You have no idea how many times I have twisted that scenario in my head to make things right. If I knew he was going to shoot you, I would have been at your side until the very last moment your eyes fluttered shut. I would've kept you safe and warm, telling you how much I loved you until I was blue in the face._   
  
_But we don't get second chances._   
  
_Anyways, David shot me in the stomach and I thought I was done for. And in that moment..I was happy. Yes, you heard me right. I was happy because I would have been reunited with you. The next thing I know, I woke up in a hospital room. My mom was standing over me, and so were Katy and Matt. For a moment I forgot about what happened to you. My main concern was our baby. The doctor said it was a miracle. The gun shot had completely missed our baby, and no harm came to it._   
  
_After I learned that the baby was fine, I directed my attention towards Katy and Matt, who for the record, are awful liars. Apparently I was in denial about your death, demanding to see you over and over again.._   
_The doctor was afraid that I would have a miscarriage so he had everyone play into my little delusional world. For the first few days at the hospital I was told you were in intensive care, but you would be fine all in due time. I believed them because I couldn't walk. After a few days, I was ready to be released. I had demanded to see you, and that's when I learned the truth._

  
_I would be lying if I said I kept my cool. In that moment, I collapsed. I fell to the ground as my mother yelled for help. I cried for a couple of hours straight. I didn't sleep for a few days either. It was just too much. Everytime I closed my eyes...I saw you. Holding me, kissing me, making me laugh. It made me want to give up. But I had something to live for. As painful as it would be..it was all I had left of you._

  
_I still visit Katy and Matt regularly. It helps, talking to them. Although I can never forget about you._   
  
_I still remember it like it was yesterday. You were the douchebag with strange blue hair, and I was just some girl being dragged to a concert she had no business attending. Remember the first night we spent together? You were annoying as hell and that's when I learned that you were fluent in sarcasm. I'm only kidding..kind of. I remember my vivid nightmare, and then waking up to your sparkling, beautiful blue eyes. I think that's the exact moment I fell in love with you. You kept me safe, strong during the hardest times. You sacrificed yourself, multiple times, for me. When we first kissed, I felt the fireworks. Right then, I knew. It took every ounce of my strength to leave you, to hit you the way you told me to. For weeks after I escaped, you were the only thought that crossed my mind. It's kind of like now, only I know you're safe. I never stopped searching until I found you again. I didn't feel whole without you in my life. I felt like a piece of me was missing. When I found you again, gazed into your eyes after you saved me from Alex, I knew I belonged there, in your arms. I try to block out most of the memories from that place, but I keep the ones with you in it. You were the only thing that made me feel safe. You have, and always will be my guardian angel._   
  
_I still wear the engagement ring you gave me around my finger. It means too much to me to ever let go of._   
  
_I want you to know that I am okay. When David shot me, I wasn't afraid of dying, I was terrified that I would lose the only part of you that I had left. 2 months ago I gave birth to two beautiful children. That's right, you got me pregnant with twins! The girl's name is Lily, the name you chose, but I named the boy after you, and rightly so. The twins are only two months old but already bursting with life. Joshua seems to never sleep! Every day I look at them, and I see you._   
  
  
_This letter is my final goodbye. As hard as it may be, I need to let go. We have a family now, a family who needs their mother more than anything in the world. I'm constantly telling them about you, and that is never going to change. By the time they are older, they will know what a great man their father was. You will be their hero._

_Joshua Ramsay, I will never stop thinking about you, about how much I love you. Although this is my goodbye, know that you will always be in my heart. I love you. I always will. That will never change._  
  
 _Goodbye, my love."_  
  
Brianna's head rests on the cold stone. A shiver runs up her spine as the cool fall air assaults her body. She shows no reaction, stilling against the rock like a statue.  
  
Finally, she pulls away, her eyes studying the dirt beneath her finger tips. She has made this visit routinely. Every day she would drop her babies off at her mom's house for ten minutes or so to come here. The thought of the landscape used to frighten her as a child, but now it has become a second home. She invites the darkness of the night in, finding it welcoming, soothing, almost. The sound of the crickets chirping and owls comfort her as she feels less alone. Although tonight, walking through the columns of rocks and greenery is uninviting. As she gazes up into the night sky, she swears she can see him dying in her arms all over again. She jumps as she remembers the sound of the gunshot ring through the air. Now her hands rest on her stomach, where he had last touched her. As she closes her eyes again she swears she can feel his presence, his phantom touch. When she opens them again, a sad smile crosses her face. She has ten minutes or so to do what she came to do.    
  
She reaches over into her backpack, pulling out a small box. She opens it to reveal a picture of her children Lily and Joshua, smiling happily at the camera. A tear rolls down her cheek as she digs through her jacket pocket, pulling out another photo.   
  
This one is of her and Josh. She remembers that day like it was yesterday. It was taken the day of Matt and Katy's wedding. He stood beside her, brightly smiling down at her face. His arms are wrapped protectively around her. She is wearing a baby blue dress that hugs her curves in all the right places. She was maid of honour, and he was best man. She's smiling back up at him, laughing at something he had just said to her. She had no idea she was being photographed until photographer yelled, "Beautiful!"   
  
They left the reception party late that night. Brianna had stayed the night at Josh's since his parents were out of town. She spent it tangled in his arms in comfortable bliss. It was the best she had slept in a long while. He made breakfast for her that day, heart shaped chocolate chip pancakes. She remembers giggling over how cheesy he was, but secretly she loved it.  
  
The following night was the night he made love to her for the first time. It was also the night he proposed to her without a ring, and got her pregnant with twins.   
  
Her thumb lightly traces over the photograph in front of her. She remembers that day vividly, and holds it dear to her heart.   
  
She places the photograph into the box, along with a newspaper article titled  _"Two survive after months of captivity",_  and the letter she had just read aloud to him. Finally, with a shaky hand she reaches into the front pocket of her old backpack to pull out a ring. A few days following Josh's death, she had bought it for him. It was a gold band, matching her engagement ring.  
  
Back then her family and friends were all worried about her, so she kept it a secret. This meant that he wasn't wearing it when he was buried.   
  
She places the ring into the box without a second thought, shutting it closed and placing it in a shallow hole that she had dug earlier with her bare hands. She cups the dirt with her hands, covering the small box.   
  
When her children are old enough, she will bring them here and dig up the box. She will show them who their father really was. A great man. A hero.  
  
She reaches over, gently blowing out a few candles she had lit. She stands up, gently tracing his name with her thumb.   
  
 ** _IN LOVING MEMORY OF_**  
 ** _JOSHUA RAMSAY_**  
 ** _BELOVED SON, FATHER,_** _ **HERO**  
  
_ She smiles down at the tombstone, being lucky to be loved by such a great man. Without another word, she gathers her things and walks away, distancing herself from her past, disappearing into the night and walking towards her two beautiful children; her future. __  
  



End file.
